All In
by betterleftblank
Summary: AU - Life is all about taking chances. But if every move you make is calculated, can you really take that leap of faith when the situation calls for it?
1. Everybody Lies

**A/N This is my first attempt at a Skins fic. I've had this idea stuck in my head for some time now and I wanted to give it a shot. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my car and the thoughts in my head.**

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><p>Everybody lies.<p>

Yes, that's a sweeping generalization, but that doesn't make my statement any less true.

At some point in your life, no matter who you are, you've told a lie. Of course, there are different types of lies, different reasons for lying and different reactions if your lie is ever discovered.

It doesn't matter where you are, all day, each day, a lie is being spoken as if it were the gospel truth.

Before anybody gets their knickers all in a knot, what I'm saying has nothing to do with religion, God or anything along those lines. I'm actually not judging any person who feels they need to bend the truth to get what they want.

Why would I judge the very thing that I do to make a living?

That would make me a hypocrite. And while I don't pass judgement on people who lie, I do, in fact, pass judgement on people who say one thing but do the exact opposite in their everyday lives.

Those people are two-faced assholes who deserve every last second of misery and pain that they have coming.

But I digress, because I really don't feel like breaking the glass in my hand, which is something that just might happen if I don't get back to my original point.

Lying. It's like sex. Everybody does it. Some are just better at executing than others. I like to think I'm fairly skilled in both areas. But who am I to judge?

Sex isn't the reason for my success, if that's what you're thinking. Just the opposite really.

My mind is actually responsible for where I am today.

I never thought that would be the case, if I'm being honest. But there are a lot of things about how my life would end up that have surprised me and the people around me. Not that I'm complaining; far from it. I love what I do. I have more money than I can keep track of and having a good time is something I'm almost always focused on.

And it's all thanks to my brain.

Isn't that just the craziest thing?

When you grow up with someone who looks almost exactly like you, your brain isn't exactly what people focus on. When we were kids, people gushed over my sister and me all the time. It didn't help that our mother thought it was adorable to dress us up in identical outfits and gave us the same haircuts as well. Way to foster separate identities, mum.

As the years went on, the gushing didn't really go away, but it did change because of a moment of great rebellion by my sister and me at our twelfth birthday party.

It was brilliant.

Katie and I made our grand entrance wearing outfits we'd bought with our own money. We basked in our triumph, a real up yours to our mum who wanted nothing more than to control every aspect of our lives.

The look of horror and shock when she saw what we had on, and what I'd done to my hair, is something I often replay in my head when I'm having a shit day. I thought her head was going to explode, so I was surprised when she said nothing to us and let the party continue.

Oh, the explosion did happen, but that wasn't until much later, when everybody else had gone home.

I was surprised my mum knew half the swear words that came out of her mouth as she yelled and screamed at Katie and me. We embarrassed her, we disrespected her, we made a fool out of her, how could we do that to her, and so on. You can see the common theme in her rationale of why what we did was so awful.

It took a lot of self control not to laugh at her ranting when she was going on like a mad woman. Her reaction was exactly what we expected and what we wanted. I know I'm making it sound like we were evil masterminds at such a young age, but that's not the reality of the situation at all. The two of us took a calculated risk, looked at the odds and decided that the potential reward outweighed the chance we had taken.

A common theme in my life.

After our mum had her nuclear meltdown we explained to our dad why we had done what we had done and he ended up taking our side. Another thing that happened a lot as we grew up, especially when it counted

So even though we were grounded for our "little stunt," as our mum called it, from that day on, our wardrobe and choices of hair style became our own. Exactly what we wanted.

It was a rush, winning like we did, and let me tell you, there's only one other feeling that can top that one. And only if it's done right.

I do owe my mum for not cancelling our party. It's a good thing that she cares about appearances as much as she does.

If she had kicked everybody out that day before Katie and I got to celebrate our birthday, my life might have turned out quite differently.

For two reasons.

One is something that would have happened regardless, I suppose, but the other reason, the one that has me in the high roller section at one of the biggest hotels in Las Vegas, is really what changed the path I ended up on.

The table I'm sitting at is silent and all eyes are on me.

Just the way I love it.

I suspect that with the exception of the man sitting across from me, a lot of the other men at the table are having a hard time deciding whether to look at my eyes, or the very low cut top that I'm wearing. The man who I'm in the hand with hasn't stopped staring at me for the last two minutes.

Creepy, but I don't blame him.

He's looking for any tell I might be giving him. A signal as to what two cards I'm holding that he can't see.

I polish off my drink without breaking eye contact and while some people in this situation choose to wear sunglasses to hide what they're thinking, I want him to feel like he can figure me out. I want him to think that he can outsmart me. I want him to not give me any credit and to believe I got where I am based only on my looks. And my cleavage, of course.

He won't be the first person to have those thoughts, and he certainly won't be the last.

That's the beauty of being a good liar. You can spot when somebody is shit at it and you can manipulate them to accept the truth that you want them to accept.

Every move I'm making is calculated right now as I lead my opponent to make the decision that benefits me the most. I know I sound like a cold-hearted bitch, but I'm really not.

This is just business.

And emotions have no room at the poker table, although most people don't know how to play without letting their feelings get in the way.

It's a good thing I'm not like most people.

I take in every piece of information I'm knowingly or unknowingly given and use it to my advantage. But that's not the only thing poker is about. It's also about math, probabilities, odds and, yes, a bit of luck. That's where my brain comes in to play.

Apparently I have a knack for numbers and that's why I'm about to make a killing on this hand.

He thinks I've signalled to him in some overt way the cards that I was dealt, but he's one hundred percent wrong. He just doesn't know it yet.

After a few minutes, I can sense that a move is about to be made.

"All in," my opponent announces with all the confidence in the world.

God, I fucking love this part.

"Call," I reply without hesitation and that's when his face falls.

He thought I was bluffing.

He thought wrong.

I keep my emotions in check as I flip over my cards to show the full house that I have and that causes the rest of the table to break out into excited chatter. I barely crack a smile as I rake in a pot worth nearly two hundred thousand dollars.

Not too shabby for about twenty minutes of work.

The man who lost the hand has an expression on his face of utter disgust. Unfortunately, it's an expression I'm quite familiar with.

"Fucking cunt," he spits out with an incredible amount of venom in his voice.

His words don't even cause me to blink.

I've been called a lot worse.

Sad, but true. It seems some men have problems losing large sums of money to a woman. Especially when they've underestimated that woman. He's quickly asked to leave by the casino manager, which is too bad. I was looking forward to taking even more money from him.

Oh well, the night is still young and I have a feeling the best is yet to come

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><p>Hours later, I'm enjoying a celebratory drink at the bar having had myself a very successful night. I barely have time to take my first sip before my thoughts are interrupted.<p>

"Emily!" A voice shouts much louder than necessary. "Where the fuck have you been your hiding your sexy ass all fucking night?"

I roll my eyes, but in an affectionate way. "Hey, Cook," I reply as he sits down on the stool next to me. "Already drunk?"

He laughs even though I wasn't trying to be funny. "Fucking right I am and you should be to so we can have some fun together." Cook wiggles his eyebrows at me but I know there's nothing behind his comment. He hits on any female around, regardless of their interest level. "Come on, Emilio, I want to get laid tonight."

"And you need my help for that?" I ask sarcastically. The boy has no standards. "You do know you and me is never going to happen."

This is all part of our banter, of our friendship, of who we are together.

Without Cook being the shit disturber that he is, and without him introducing me to the game I fell in love with when I was twelve, I don't know if I ever would have made it out of Bristol. I owe him a lot. Even though he will never really get what he wants from me.

"Fuck you," he fires back with a smile.

"In your dreams," I respond earning even more laughter from my friend. "I really don't understand why you need me to get you laid."

Whatever asinine remark Cook makes is ignored by me because my attention is drawn away from our conversation to the blonde woman sitting at the other end of the bar. I have no idea when she sat down, but now that I've noticed her, I'm finding it hard to concentrate on anything else.

There's no denying the woman is beautiful, but there's something else about her that I can't quite put my finger on. I'm grateful she's not looking this way or she might have noticed that I haven't stopped staring at her for the last two minutes.

"Yo, Red, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Cook asks in a bid to get my attention.

Whoever the woman is, she doesn't seem to be with anyone, nor does she seem to be waiting for anyone to arrive. That's what my read on the situation is anyways.

Ignoring Cook's barrage of questions, I get up from my seat to strike up a conversation with the stranger that has piqued my interest.

Maybe this will be my lucky night after all.

I don't even ask permission to sit beside her. It's a gamble, I know, but I'm all about taking chances.

I focus my eyes on her stunning green ones and give her a friendly smile. "I know this is going to sound cliché, but do I know you from somewhere?"

Not my best line, I admit, but she really does seem familiar to me so I'm hoping the honesty of the statement makes up for the predictability of it.

"Fuck off," she replies rather rudely before getting up and storming off back into the casino, leaving me at the bar very confused and wondering what exactly just happened.


	2. I Hate Surprises

**A/N Thanks to those of you who left a comment, I really appreciate it. My goal is to update once a week at minimum. Luckily I have someone at home who will give me a hard time if I don't live up to that commitment :) Hope you enjoy. **

First times usually fall into two categories: either you always look back on it fondly or it's a cringe-worthy event that you want to bury very deep in your subconscious.

It's rare that the first time you try something you're instantly good at it. Usually the ability master a skill or physical prowess takes determination, practice and a strong work ethic.

When it comes to poker, it wasn't like that for me. As soon as Cook explained the concept of the game at my twelfth birthday party, I felt an instant affinity for the game. There was something in my mind that clicked, and that feeling has never gone away.

We didn't even get to play for that long because my mum found us hiding in my room after we'd snuck off together. But the taste of what I experienced that afternoon was enough to know I wanted more.

Despite my mum's misgivings about Cook, I think a part of her expected him and I to end up together. We were thick as thieves growing up but never crossed that line in our friendship. There were a couple of close calls when we were both too pissed to see straight, so to speak. Thankfully common sense prevailed and neither of us have had to deal with that awkward morning after. At least not with each other.

That doesn't mean he refrains from coming onto me at the drop of a hat. Because he wouldn't be Cook if he didn't, and I love him just the way he is.

I'm sure the prospect of Cook and me as a couple horrified my mum when I was younger. Today, however, I'm willing to bet she'd be over the moon if I told her that we were dating. Just one example of how fucking hypocritical she is.

But she's a subject for another time.

I will never forget the first time I won a poker tournament. I was underage and playing in some seedy underground poker club.

The smell of that backroom bar is burned into my memory. The room was filled with people, but their silence as we played that last hand was deafening. The feeling of knowing I was about to come out on top makes my stomach tighten even now. And the rush that came over when I flipped over my cards to show the straight my opponent didn't know I had is one of the best highs I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

I was nearly crushed by my friends as we celebrated my victory. It was an unforgettable night. Especially when the club got raided a few minutes after I collected my winnings. Luckily I didn't get arrested. It wouldn't have mattered much to me, but the fallout would have been no fun to deal with.

"What the fuck did you say to her?" Cook asks in between howls of laughter.

I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly because I have no idea why that women told me off and I don't really want him to know that I'm bothered by her reaction. It's a good thing I have some skill in hiding what I'm feeling.

"Who cares?" I reply before downing the rest of my drink. "Let's go find you someone to pull."

I suspect that getting shitfaced will be a highly effective way to get over the weirdness of the last few minutes. Cook seems satisfied with my response and I barely have time to gather my stuff before I'm dragged away to the nearest club.

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><p>My head is pounding when I wake up the next morning. Not enough to regret my previous night out, but enough for me to wish I had gone back to my hotel room earlier than I did. I would have no issues sleeping my hangover off, but seeing as I have a tournament to get ready for in a few hours and a bunch of promotional events to attend, I don't have that luxury.<p>

Normally I wouldn't go out so late before such a big day, but I really needed to blow off some steam. And the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed was just what I needed to get a certain image of a certain woman out of my head.

Or, you know, every time I caught a glimpse of blonde hair on the dance floor my heart may or may not have fluttered ever so slightly.

I throw my pillow over my head in frustration and pain. My head won't stop throbbing and I can't understand why someone I've seen for all of two minutes is driving me crazy. It makes no sense, and I really can't afford to be off my game today.

I honestly can't figure out why she reacted that way to my simple question. Yes, it was a terrible way to start a conversation, but I am searching my brain to figure out the reason for it soliciting such a strong response from her. I like to think I'm very adept at reading people, so my inability to figure this riddle out is bothering more than it should.

Or, you know, the fact that she was painfully beautiful and I can't get her face out of my mind no matter what I do could also be the reason that I can't let our brief encounter go.

Stuff like this doesn't happen to me. I'm the one that's always in control, always able to keep my feelings in check, and I'm always the one that has the upper hand.

Always.

And yet someone I don't even know, someone who I will likely never see again, is able to get under my skin. It defies logic and explanation.

I'm making it sound like I'm some ice-cold robot who doesn't have time for feelings or emotions. That's not the case at all. It's just that ever since last night I've been off kilter and distracted.

The jackhammering going on in my head is turning out to be a much more pressing issue though. It's enough to motivate me to get out of bed and into the shower. All I need to feel better is to get clean, order room service and down as many Aspirins as I can find.

The shower does me a world of good and by the time I'm ready to sit down and eat, I've gotten whatever it was that happened last night out of my system. I spend the next twenty minutes scarfing down a huge meal and reviewing my strategy for later.

I'm barely finished with breakfast when I'm subjected, yet again, to incessant pounding. But this time the sound is coming from the other side of the door. I check the time and realize I'm running a few minutes behind.

Oh well, being fashionably late to my own event is not unheard of. I chug back the rest of my coffee before I grab my bag and head over the door to answer it.

I'm greeted with a wicked grin and a leering look. "My, my, Emily, don't you look smashing. How about we stay in your room and have a party of our own?"

Normally that kind of comment, laced with perversion and inappropriateness, would result in me squaring my knee right in a guy's groin, but not right now. First of all, my leather pants and very low-cut top seem to be having the exact effect I want them to have. Sitting at a poker table with a bunch of men drooling over what I'm wearing does have its advantages. And secondly, Tony is harmless.

He's like Cook in a lot of ways. I get hit on by Tony constantly, but I know there's nothing really behind his comments. I don't think he can help himself; it's in his DNA. Since leaving home I've never made any secret about my appreciation of the female form and the people in my life have my back, Tony included. Also, like Cook, I owe a lot of where I am to Tony.

When I was an up and coming poker pro, he took me under his wing and taught me the ins and outs of the business. In fact, Tony was the one that hooked me up with my first sponsorship deal and in turn he became my business manager.

Our relationship works well because he leaves me to do what I love and I let him handle the side of the poker world that I'd rather not deal with. Contrary to what my mum thinks, I have more than enough men in my life. I just prefer not to have them in bed with me.

"Sorry, Tone, another time, yeah? I've got a pretty full schedule today." I shut the door behind me and start walking towards the elevator. "How's everything?" I ask despite the puppy dog eyes I'm getting from my companion.

"Busy as ever," he replies and then his expression changes to a smirk.

I can only imagine what he means by that. Tony has the tendency to get himself in trouble from time to time. His behaviour never affects my career so the less I know about what he's been up to, the better

Our discussion turns professional as we head down to the party that's already started. Once we're all caught up I can feel myself relax. "What's new with your sister?"

Tony's eyes flicker for the briefest of moments and despite him trying to cover it up, I do notice. "You know Effy."

Talk about a non-answer. I normally don't push Tony much, but I do regard him as a great friend so I press on. "Is she okay?"

"The last thing you need is to be distracted," Tony says while avoiding looking at me. "I'm counting on you making me a lot of money today."

I put my hand on Tony's arm to prevent him from running away from this conversation. "If something is wrong, you can tell me."

There are a lot of things that rub people the wrong way when it comes to Tony. He's partly responsible for the assumptions people make about him, but when it comes to Effy that's a different matter all together. Nobody could ever accuse him of not taking care of really the only family he has left.

"She's fine," Tony assures me, but I don't believe him. We've played enough poker together for me to be able to tell when he's bluffing.

I decide to use another tactic, one that I'm almost certain will work. "You know, one call to Katie..."

Ever since I abandoned my sister for the bright lights of Vegas, as she likes to say, she's grown quite close to Effy and has seen her through some really tough spots. It's not as if I'm never home, but that doesn't stop her from giving me large amounts of guilt like only she can.

Tony holds his hands up in defeat. "Ok, ok, there's no need to play dirty. Unless you've decided to give men a try."

I roll my eyes. "That's not going to work and you know it."

"She's fine, Emily, honest." I still think he's holding something back. Now is not the time to press the matter though. "Besides, I have a surprise for you."

Despite the fact that his statement sounds like a pick up line, I can tell that Tony is not implying anything along those lines. "You know I hate surprises."

Tony flashes me a smile that does nothing but make nervous. "I know. That's what makes this so much fun."

Before I have a chance to figure out what kind of game he's playing, the doors that we're standing in front of open up and I'm temporarily blinded by the many flashes of light going off simultaneously.

"Here she is, ladies and gentleman, the first woman to be chosen as our poker player of the year, Emily Fitch."

Tony disappears into the crowd so the only thing I really can do is smile for the cameras like I'm being paid to do.

An exhausting hour and a half later the crowd is starting to thin out. I need to get out of here so I can have some time on my own before the tournament starts. I'm still feeling the effects of my partying the night before. That, combined with Tony's odd behaviour, as well as that person I'm trying desperately not to think about, is making me antsy to leave.

I've been busy signing autographs, taking pictures and making small talk with more people than I can count. God, I must sound like whinging spoiled brat, but I'm really not. I know exactly how lucky I am and how many people would kill to be in my shoes. It's nothing a good night's sleep won't cure, and that's exactly what I plan on doing after this tournament is done.

Until then, I'll have to suck it up and focus like I know I'm capable of doing.

"I've been looking for you," I hear Tony say as he approaches me from behind.

I turn around with the full intention of giving that asshole a piece of my mind. He left me on my own today, even though he's supposed to be by my side playing interference when necessary and basically just being there when I need him.

"Remember that surprise I was telling you about it earlier," Tony says making me forget how pissed at him I am for abandoning me. Now I'm pissed at him for another reason all together.  
>"Emily, allow me to introduce you to the newest addition to our team," he announces, and it's only then that I notice that someone has been standing behind him this whole time.<p>

Tony steps aside and I come face to face with the woman who's been invading in my thoughts since I spotted her yesterday.

Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events?


	3. Drops of Jupiter

**A/N I will try to have another update done over the weekend, but I can't make any promises. Until then, I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>What I find so interesting about the human mind is its ability to bury or alter memories in such a way that they are no longer at the forefront of our consciousness. That's not always a good thing, mind you, but when a memory becomes overwhelming or hinders you on a day-to-day basis, denial can prove to be quite useful.<p>

And then, when you least expect it and no matter how much control over things we like to think we have, something or someone comes along to shatter that illusion. Whatever protective measures have been put in place get wiped out completely. Fascinating, really.

As I study the woman who rudely told me off yesterday, I realize now why she refused to leave my thoughts. It's not because of who she is, it's because of who she reminds me of.

We already reviewed the impact poker has had on me, but we haven't covered what was arguably a more important event in my life. There such vastly different experiences that I don't even think of them as being connected, but they are.

I was twelve.

I often replay the exact second when I first laid eyes on her. I can recount for you what she was wearing in great detail. I can see the look that apprehension she sported mixed with her "stay away" attitude so clearly it's like I'm watching the whole thing play out in high definition. To this  
>day I don't think I've ever seen a shade of blue that can live up to the colour of her eyes. And I didn't even know her name.<p>

When Katie and my other friends began to develop feelings for the boys in school I wasn't too fussed that I hadn't followed suit. It didn't seem like big a deal to me and I couldn't figure out why it should; I was still young, after all. When she walked through my door that afternoon I got my first clue that I was different. It would be a few years before I finally put all the pieces of my gay puzzle together, but she was the first piece.

I found out later that my mum had run into her family as they were moving in a few doors away from us and, being someone who always wanted to appear opened minded and non-judgemental (despite damning evidence to the contrary), invited them all over to our house for the party. They definitely weren't people my mum normally associated with but, in her mind, welcoming them to our home represented a good deed on her part. It didn't matter that after everyone had left and after she'd finished yelling at me and Katie, she went on to make incredibly rude comments about their appearance and lack of money.

What a good example she set for us kids.

I can still feel how flushed my face got when she finally looked my way. I'm pretty sure my cheeks were the same colour red as my new hair and my palms got all sweaty. I was a walking cliche without a clue as to why that was.

When Cook suggested that we sneak off together, I didn't hesitate in saying yes. I was too freaked out to actually say hi to her and I wanted the chance to figure out why my heart was felt like it was going at hyper speed. By the time my mum caught Cook and me and after she made us head back to the festivities I felt back to my regular self.

That feeling lasted the briefest of moments.

I was on my way to get a drink when I heard a voice coming from the hallway that was off limits during the party.

"Happy birthday."

My throat went dry and my heart palpitations returned. When I worked up the courage to turn around my suspicions as to who the voice belonged to were confirmed.

"Thanks," I replied nervously. I was at a loss with no clue what to say. "Nobody's supposed to be here, you know," I blurted out like an idiot.

I inwardly cringed at how I'd shot my foot into my mouth and outwardly my blushing came back, tenfold.

"Good thing I don't follow rules," came her smooth reply. I don't think she was even trying to be cool or indifferent, she just was. "Am I still allowed to wish you a happy birthday or is that outlawed as well?"

I giggled in response. Me, giggled. I didn't giggle and even now I'm not that type of person but that was the way my body chose to react how on edge I felt. Her tone had been dripping with sarcasm but I'm almost certain she wasn't trying to be rude.

"That's allowed," I said as I willed myself not to blush again. "Thank you."

She shrugged her shoulders and then she walked towards me. "No offense, but your party is kind of lame."

This time my laugh was genuine, not borne from my newly formed crush. She was right and I appreciated that she didn't care about niceties enough to lie that she was having a great time or something along those lines.

"Yeah, it really is," I agreed and for the first time I felt a little more at ease. "Sorry it's not exciting enough for you, I'll try to figure out a way to liven things up."

Her scowl disappeared and she smiled at me. It was enough to make me nervous again but I didn't care. All I knew was that I wanted to keep talking to her for as long as possible.

"Emily Fitch, by the way," I announced as I stuck out my hand.

She laughed. "Aren't you formal, Ms. Fitch?" She caught my hand before I could pull it back, alleviating my concern that I'd once again stuck my foot in my mouth. "Naomi, get to know me."

"Excuse me?" I chuckled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I detected the faintest hint of red creeping into her cheeks. "Nothing. Just something that was supposed to stay in my head."

I couldn't stop myself from grinning like a fool It seemed I wasn't the only one who was having issues with their mouth running away from them.

We found a place to sit that wasn't going to get either one of us in any trouble. We started talking and it felt like I'd known her for a lot longer than fifteen minutes. You ever have that with someone you've just met? It's a great feeling.

I was excited to make a new friend, especially one that didn't see me as one half of a duo. She was asking me questions about me, not about what it's like to be a twin.

I got pulled away from my conversation with Naomi by my mum for pictures, or cake time, I don't really recall. What I do remember is how disappointment washed over me but there was nothing I could do about it. I promised her that I'd be right back and then I begrudgingly followed my mum to wherever it was that she was dragging me.

Half an hour or so later I was finally able to get away from what I was doing but when I returned to where Naomi and I had been sitting, she was gone. Not thinking much of it, I searched for her though the rest of my house but I still came up empty.

I couldn't figure out what had happened and if I thought I was feeling disappointment before it didn't compare to what I felt when I realized she wasn't coming back. I was confused and I couldn't figure out if there was something I did or said to make her leave.

I knew her for the briefest of moments but her presence lingered in my life long after that afternoon of my birthday party. Especially because I never saw her again.

The house that she was moving into was suddenly empty once more, making her and her family part of the neighbourhood gossip. My mum being the leader in telling stories and spreading any rumour that she heard, regardless if there was any validity to it.

I couldn't stop thinking about Naomi after she was gone. I'm not sure if it's because of the mysteriousness surrounding her departure or whether it was the girl itself that stuck with me for so long.

I suspect it was the latter.

I would replay our brief meeting over and over in my head to see if I could figure out what happened. It got to the point that any time I closed my eyes, I'd see her face. I must sound so creepy but it wasn't like that. At least it didn't feel creepy to me.

I'd spend hours listening "Drops of Jupiter" because it was the song playing when she first walked in the door. I know, it's bordering on pathetic and pretty emo of me. I drove Katie out of her mind with my odd behaviour and she even threatened to break my CD player if I didn't play something besides that song.

Eventually I moved on and Naomi and my brief memory of her moved further and further back in my brain. Other events and other people took over, but that doesn't mean she disappeared from my thoughts completely. Every once in a while something would propel her back to the present day only to banish her back to my subconscious soon after.

I never talked about her to anyone. How ludicrous would it sound to spend so much of my time thinking about a person that was in my life for the most fleeting of moments? Her presence became a passing mention if anyone every bought up our twelfth birthday party. A bit of family lore about that one time that odd family showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared just as quickly.

I tried at one point to look her up online but without knowing her last name, I didn't get very far.

I often thought about what would have happened if she hadn't disappeared. If we would have been friends or would our supposed connection turn out to be nothing.

It has been quite a long time since I thought of Naomi or allowed myself the luxury of thinking about her. Normally it ends with me questioning my sanity because ten years have passed, a lifetime, so there's no logical reason to continue wondering why she left the party and where she is right now.

When I saw the woman at the bar last night I didn't realize that her presence brought Naomi out of hiding

Until now that is.

That's why she invaded my normally very in control thoughts and that's why I couldn't let our encounter go. Brief as it was, just like my time with Naomi, it took me back to one of the mysteries in my life I've never had any resolution on.  
>As I examine the woman in front of me in much more detail I can see that she does seem to bear resemblance to the girl I met a long time ago, but it's definitely not her.<p>

Now that I know I've figured things out, I can feel my sense of control returning and that puts me very much at ease. I can deal with the ghost of Naomi because I've been dealing with it for so long now.

It's second nature.

With my confidence back to where it's normally at, I allow myself to smirk ever so slightly. "We've actually met before."

Her green eyes are flashing anger I still can't figure out and frankly I don't care to. Whoever she is, she holds no significance to me and therefore I'm not really concerned about what I could have done to piss her off.

"I didn't quite catch your name before you stormed off, luv," I continue as my smirk becomes more pronounced. "Was it something I said?"

Tony, not having actually introduced her to me, doesn't say anything. Instead, he looks back and forth between with two of us with the filthiest of grins on his face.

The woman huffs out her annoyance but also stays silent.

And the mystery continues.

"You know, if you're going to be part of the team, it would probably be helpful for you to speak," I tell the woman. I have no clue if I'm going to be working with her but that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to someone who is being a rude to me. The poker club I represent at tournaments often add people to their roster of "stars" and maybe that's why she's here.

If that's the case, let me tell you she's got a horrible poker face. Her inability to hide her feelings is making me question what her connection to my world might be.

Just as I'm about to open my mouth her entire demeanour changes and her pained expression transforms into one that shows no emotion.

I guess I spoke to soon.

"The name is Darcy, dear," she says to me. Then she flashes me a fake smile that isn't fooling me one bit. "I'm sorry about last night; just a misunderstanding."

A misunderstanding?

Getting charged for something you didn't order at a restaurant is a misunderstanding. Her strong reaction to me does not fall into that category.

I still don't quite know what is going on, but that's ok. I'm starting to care very little about this Darcy person as my attention shifts to my upcoming tournament. That's what I should be focusing on, not this ridiculous conversation.

"What happened last night?" Tony pipes up, his voice laced with innuendo.

"Shut up, Tone," I reply before she can say anything. "I really need to get a few things done right now, can we pick this back up later?"

Tony puts his arm around my shoulder. "Sorry, Emily, this is business so whatever your plans, they'll have to wait."

I'm getting annoyed but I refrain from making any snide remarks. Tony rarely plays the business card so I know this must be important.

"Darcy is about to make her professional debut..." he begins but I cut him off, because I now know where this is going.

"And you want me to show her the ropes." I finish for him. "I'm not sure how much..."

"I don't need you to show me anything," Darcy cuts in.

What a bitch.

"Then why are either of you taking up any of time?" I ask sarcastically. My patience is being tested and all I want is to get away from the two of them.

"We do need a favour, Ems," Tony tells me, using his sweet voice and puppy dog eyes. Again. "Darcy has some paperwork she has to sign and some pictures to take before the tournament begins."

I'm so close to just walking away. Either one of them needs to get to the point very soon or that's exactly what I will do.

"And this affects me how?" I can't figure out what any of this has to do with me.

"We were hoping you'd entertain Darcy's sister for the next hour or so," Tony explains. "She's never been to Vegas before and she could sure use the company of someone who knows the city as well as you do."

Normally flattery works well, but the thought of helping Darcy in any capacity holds very little appeal to me. Not to mention if Darcy is such an unpleasant cow, what is her sister like?

"I'd love to help, but I'm really busy," I tell them. Sure it's a white lie but who cares. I sure don't. "Another time maybe."

Tony ignores me like he often does. "I know your schedule, and I know that's not true."

Damn, that's the disadvantage to having him as my business manager.

"Here she comes now," Tony announces and I resign myself to the reality that I'm not going to get out of playing babysitter for the next little while.

That's ok, I'll get him back for this somehow.

I turn my head in the direction that Tony's pointing and before I even realize why, my heart stops beating completely.

It's not until she's standing by my side that the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.

I let out a shaky breath that I think I've been holding in for the last ten years.

After all this time, I'm looking into Naomi's blue eyes again.

And they're even more beautiful than I remember.


	4. Reunited And It Feels So Good?

**A/N Thanks to those of you who have left me feedback, I really appreciate it. Not sure when my next chapter will be done, but I will try not to make you wait too long.**

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><p>Surreal.<p>

There is no other word that I can use for this moment.

This moment that I've played out in my head hundreds of times. It feels like I've gone outside my body, and yet I feel my entire being buzzing in an indescribable way. I don't hear anything but a whooshing sound in my ear.

Her eyes.

Her amazing, beautiful, unbelievably gorgeous blue eyes are locked onto mine.

I don't think I've blinked since I first spotted Naomi. I don't want to close my eyes for even a fraction of a second because when I open them up, the chance that she might not be standing in front of me anymore is too horrible to even contemplate.

This person that I've known for such a brief amount of time, ten years ago, is causing me to have all kinds of reactions to her presence that I'm not sure I know what to do with.

Question after question is racing through my brain. They are forming so quickly I won't be able remember them when I actually have a conversation with her.

Christ.

I might have a conversation with Naomi. What will I say? What will she say? What will we say to each other?

The questions don't stop coming.

It's almost to the point that a sense of dizziness is coming over me. But there's no way I will allow myself to give into the sensation. That would be awful.

And then all the questions that have been zooming around in my head come to a screeching halt as one that I didn't want to think about starts flashing in bright neon colours.

What if she doesn't have any clue who I am?

Then another thought replaces the one I was just thinking. What if she does and doesn't care about our amazing and fated reunion?

And then another comes.

What if I'm nothing to her?

I've spend years thinking about Naomi. Sure it's been on and off, but if I'm being truthful, it's been more on than not.

The part of me that's rational knows that's a ridiculous thing to admit. That most people would think I need to be locked up because I'm bordering on obsessive. But there's just a huge part of me that couldn't let go of the "what if" angle to our one time meeting.

It's daft, I know. Trust me, I know.

My heart that had stopped when I first spotted Naomi is now beating so fast I'm sure the whole room can hear it thumping wildly in my chest.

I should probably say something.

I'm pretty sure I'm excepted to speak.

I can't tear my eyes away from the ones that are staring intently at me.

I wish I could say I see a spark of recognition coming from Naomi, but I can't read her.

I can't read her.

Me, the person that's made their living on being able to tell what someone else is thinking is drawing a complete blank. I'm coming undone when this could turn out to be nothing.

I need to compose myself.

And I need to form words.

Finding strength I didn't know I possessed I rip my vision reluctantly away from the person that's haunted me for years. I look at Tony and the expression on his face is one of intrigue and confusion.

Can't say that I blame him for not understanding what is going on. I'm barely able to explain it and it's happening to me.

My throat has gone completely dry as I struggle to form a sentence.

For fucks sake, this is getting ridiculous.

All over a girl.

A girl I don't know.

A girl that would probably run terrified if she could sense how much her presence is affecting me.

"Ok, Ems, I'm going to take that as a yes," Tony says, breaking the increasingly awkward silence that we've all found ourselves in.

Take what as a yes? I kind of forgot what he asked me because Naomi's reappearance in my life has short circuited my brain. Understandable, sure, but that's not helping me recall what I supposedly said yes to.

I'm still unable to respond. Instead I try to focus my attention back on the girl that started this odd chain of events. Unfortunately I end up looking at Darcy and the snarl on her face is enough to make me wonder once again what her problem is.

Honestly, I don't really care, because I have much more pressing issues to take care of. Namely learning to speak again and then figuring out a great opening line to wow Naomi. I have faith that I'll be able to come up with something great.

Something that will convey everything that's been swirling around in my head. Both from the moment I saw her at my birthday party, all the way to today.

No pressure.

Tony puts his arm around Darcy's shoulder and then he starts guiding her to wherever it is those two are headed. I follow them as they walk away, but then common sense prevails when I remember that Naomi is still standing in relatively close proximity to me.

My heart leapfrogs into my throat as it dawns on me that we're alone.

Well, if you call being in a room full of people alone. But to me it doesn't matter if there were five, fifty or five thousand people in this conference room, I'd still only be zoomed in on one person.

My head slowly makes its way back to where it should have been all along. I take a sharp breath when I make eye contact with Naomi. She still hasn't said a word to me either and her expression remains stoic.

I can understand her reaction because she's been off loaded on a virtual stranger by her sister. A person I have no desire to learn any more about.

But I'm not a stranger.

Am I?

Does she know that?

That's the million dollar question and now seems as good a time as ever to find out the answer.

"I'm fairly certain Tony wants to get in my sister's pants," Naomi announces before I get a chance to ask her anything.

I have played this exact moment out in my head more times than I can count. I've gone over all the different ways our first conversation after many, many years would go. I played it out where things have gone splendidly and also where things have gone to shit.

In all my different scenarios, Naomi commenting on Tony and his libido is one I never dreamed of. And for good reason: it's bloody disturbing.

I'm not in the mood to think about what that boy does in his spare time, nor do I want to discuss it.

I have no idea where to take this conversation, but I'm certain I want to steer it clear of the direction that Naomi is sending it to.

She must think I'm some sort of freak since I seem to have gone mute.

All I can do is flash her the tiniest of smiles because I'm still not in control of my body.

Fucking hell.

What if this is all a dream?

It could be, you know. I've had many dreams about what Naomi would be like as an adult. Although, as I gaze at her, none of what my brain came up with even compares to the gorgeous woman who I'm still unable to converse with.

I've heard the expression "take your breath away," but that doesn't do justice to what I'm currently staring at.

Get a hold of yourself, Emily!

I'm going on and on like some love sick teenager.

I need to get my bearings back, and I need to get them back right now.

I guess I could ask Naomi to pinch me so I can be sure this is actually happening. That wouldn't be an odd request or anything.

"So..." she starts as the mood shifts from awkward to uncomfortable. I can sense she wants me to say something, but I'm not quite sure what.

I keep my smile going and I'm sure I'm coming across as borderline creepy.

Really not the smashing second first impression I want to make.

Unfortunately Naomi doesn't return my smile and that can't be a good sign. This situation needs rescuing, immediately.

As I rack my brain to come up with a great response, I realize something. Tony took off with Darcy before he even introduced the two of us to each other. So rude of him and that makes things even weirder.

I'm glad though that I didn't use Naomi's name or she would have wondered how I would know what to call her. Unless of course she does remember our first meeting and then it would make sense to her.

I want to test her memory right now, but I don't know if that's the wisest of moves. It might be better, and safer, to make it seem like everything is normal. Then I can see what happens and if all will be revealed.

Sounds like a great plan.

I lick my lips and then I swallow away every fear that threatens to overwhelm me.

"I'm sorry I've been thrust on you without warning," Naomi apologies quietly before I can say anything.

Thrust on me?

Thrust on me?

When was she ever thrusting under me?

Now that was entirely uncalled for!

I struggle to keep my composure because my nerves are making me do things I normally don't do. Like make incredibly vulgar jokes in my head.

Ok, that might not be the complete truth but that's not important.

Naomi appears to be on edge just like I am and surprisingly that calms me down.

"Don't be silly," I reply in a voice that sounds unbelievably foreign. "I'm happy to have you thrust on me."

In the name of all that is holy, what the fuck did I just say?

Tell me, I did not just say that.

Please, I'm begging you.

My entire body goes flush and I can only imagine the look of absolute disbelief and disgust on my face. Not to mention I'm sure my face must look like I have a bad sunburn because it's so red.

What is Naomi doing to me?

I'm never like this, honest. I'm not claiming to be the smoothest person out there, but I'm certainly not ever someone who experiences foot-in-mouth disease like I am right now.

I think I might have even gasped after I spoke, and rightfully so. What I said was definitely gasp worthy.

I suddenly want to be anywhere but where I am. But I didn't wait ten years for this moment to run away.

Even though I'm terrified.

I'm about to apologize for my slip of the tongue, when Naomi starts laughing. And not a polite, low key laugh. I'm talking about an outburst of laughter that I don't quite know how to react to.

I'm not sure if I should be relieved or offended.

"That's one way to put it," Naomi manages to get out in between cracking up. I don't see any serious mocking in her attitude so instead of over analyzing things, I decide to join the fun.

Something I'm going to store for later: the fact that she didn't seem offended by the inadvertent innuendo in my statement. And interesting tidbit, don't you think?

"We should probably start over," I tell Naomi when we've both regained our composure. I'm happy when she nods in agreement. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Emily by the way."

I stick my hand out and it creates an incredible feeling of déjà vu that I physically feel like I've been pushed back.

Suddenly I'm not standing in a casino in Vegas, I'm back in my house, in Bristol, with a twelve year old Naomi. I didn't intend to do this and I wonder if I've made a huge mistake. I wanted to keep things light and not complicated.

Naomi's smile fades as her expression turns unreadable again. The tension that was present earlier returns, tenfold, and I'm the reason for that.

Plus, my hand is still extended and I can't seem to reel it back in.

I want to, believe me, I feel paralyzed.

"Nice to meet you, Emily," Naomi eventually responds and the way she says my name is delightful. I don't think I've ever heard it sound so good. I watch her hand come ever closer to mine and my breath is trapped in my throat for what feels like the hundredth time in the last five minutes. "Naomi."

When her fingers touch my fingers I want to jump out of my skin. I want to, but I don't because that would embarrass me even further than I am already. It's hard not to react though because it feels like a current of energy is surging throughout me as she shakes my hand.

Yes, I'm reaching into my bag of clichés to describe what's going on, but I can't help myself. If I'm destined to end up a cliché with Naomi, I'm really ok with that. Much sooner than I would like, she's no longer touching me and the overpowering warmth I was feeling, is gone.

Should I say just break my original idea of playing this coy and ask Naomi if she knows who I am?

I should, right?

I want to, I do, but I don't think I can. I'm almost certain that window of addressing this whole weird coincidence of us meeting again, has been closed.

I'm the one who shut it and I'm now going to have to find another way to broach the subject.

"If you have other things to do, I can wait for Darcy here." Naomi says, her tone devoid of any warmth it held earlier.

That's completely not what I wanted.

I need to clean up the mess I've made.

"And miss all the thrusting," I tease lightly. "I don't think so."

"Cheeky," Naomi fires back, in just as light a tone. I'm so happy that my plan worked that I don't even take time to bask in my victory. "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, Emily."

Yes, please do, is what I think, but don't say out loud. I've already made enough of a fool of myself that it's better that I keep my mouth from getting me in trouble.

Besides, it's not like she said that to flirt with me. She was just joking around.

Now that all my senses have returned to their normal functionality, I take this brief reprieve from over thinking to admire the woman Naomi has turned out to be.

I'm allowed.

I discretely, at least I hope its discretely, look her up and down.

And, I definitely like what I see.

Naomi is living up to all the expectations I had of what she'd be like as an adult. Well, except for one thing.

She has on the most awful floral patterned jacket, I just can't.

I know, I know, so superficial of me, but I was only making a note of it. Anyway, if that is her only flaw than I have zero complaints.

None.

I cock my head to one side and decide that if by small chance she's flirting with me, now is as good a time as any to test the waters. "Hopefully you like what you see." I'm rewarded with grin from Naomi that is adorable and enthralling all at the same time.

I'm about to suggest that we move out of the conference room when we're interrupted by a man I don't know.

"Sorry, ladies, it's time for us to clean up." He announces.

I take a look around the room and I notice we're the only two people left from the party.

I'm not surprised considering the second Naomi walked back into my life, I've hardly noticed anyone or anything but her.

"And nobody is supposed to be here while we do," the man finishes and then points to the door.

I'm thrown for a loop for a second time as his words take me back to the past again. I gaze at Naomi and her eyes lock onto mine.

This is the moment.

I've been given another chance to approach the subject that I'm too scared to bring up.

I should be brave.

I should be, but the notion that Naomi might not remember me and, therefore, the connection I'm sure we share would be just a fantasy. A fantasy I'm not ready to let go of yet.

"You ready for me to show you around?" I ask even though it's not the question I should be asking.

I sense a hint of something from Naomi, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Well, Tony did say you'd show me a good time," Naomi says before breaking eye contact with me.

Any sense of things being off between us are dispelled with those words.

I'm not one to make a liar out of anyone.

If a good time is what Naomi wants, than a good time is what she'll get.

You can bet on it.


	5. Movie Montage

**A/N My apologies, it was my intention to have this done a lot sooner than today. You can blame the new Harry Potter Lego game for the delay. I've only had the chance to go over this once, and I'm on my out, so if there are any glaring errors, I will fix them when I get home later tonight. Cheers.**

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><p>Have you ever had that dream where you show up to school naked and everyone is staring at you with looks of horror and disbelief on their faces?<p>

Me neither.

I don't really think people even have that dream. I think it's sort of an urban myth that has taken off because one person thought it would make a good scene in a book, movie or TV show. Everyone just accepts it as fact without investigating whether or not it's an actual fact.

I bet you're wondering why I'm bring up something so trivial when I have the chance to spend time with the person I've been thinking about for the last decade. Good question, actually, a very good question.

I brought up the totally-fake-yet-everyone-thinks-it's-real-showing-up-to-school-naked-dream because I actually feel that way right about now. No, I'm not standing in front of Naomi naked. Although in future, I am definitely keeping myself open to that scenario as a possibility. Rather, I get the sensation as we walk through the casino lobby everyone is looking at the two of us and they know exactly what is going on in my mind.

Thankfully that's not the case because I don't feel like explaining why some more, how shall I put it, non-pure thoughts about Naomi are swimming around in there. In my defence, it's not my fault.

Truly, it isn't.

First of all, when we got on the elevator to head down to the lobby, Naomi removed her awful floral jacket. Yes, that was a cause for celebration because I didn't have to stare at its hideousness any longer. More importantly, it also gave the chance to see Naomi in a top that is a lot more form fitting than I thought I'd get to see.

Not that I'm complaining. Because if anyone thinks that's the case they are cracked. I just found it distracting and I doubt anyone in my shoes would have the same reaction.

Let me make it clear that they're not the only kinds of thoughts about Naomi that I'm having. However, the introduction of some not-so innocent ones in my head is making me feel like there's a bright light shining down on the two of us.

The reality is, I'm pretty well known in the poker world, especially in Vegas, so having people stare at me is something I've experienced before. Perhaps it's my overactive imagination or guilty conscious that has me feeling this way. I mean I have really only known Naomi for about an hour total, over a ten year period, I might want to slow things down in my mind just a wee bit.

Naomi keeps looking over at me as walk and I'm getting the sense that she wants to say something, but she doesn't know how to bring it up. It's weird to all of a sudden have some sort of read on her but it's a development I welcome. I actually feel more at ease the more I can anticipate how she's reacting to me. It gives me a sense of having control back.

Then she flashes me a big grin and I swear I feel the ground tremble. I can't ever remember reacting to anyone as strong as I'm reacting to present day Naomi. It's frightening and amazing all at the same time.

Naomi stops walking but doesn't say anything.

"Any particular reason we're not moving?" I ask with a smile of my own. Just because I'm enamoured with this practical stranger doesn't mean I'm going to let her know that. "Can't keep up with me?"

"I think you have to take two strides just to keep up to my one." Naomi quips back. Her grin has turned cheeky even though I should be bothered by her remark I'm not.

Yes, I'm can be described as someone on the short side. I'm going to avoid the good things, small packages line because it's a predicable one and really it's no big deal.

"Very funny," I deadpan much to Naomi's delight. "It still doesn't explain why you aren't walking anymore." I'm more curious than anything and a chance to banter with Naomi is a chance I'm going to take.

"You see those three guys over there?" Naomi inquires as she points to my right. "They were motioning towards us and I wanted to know why."

Oh, mystery solved I suppose. It still doesn't explain why she flashed me that amazing smile of hers but I'm again not going to question the lucky streak I seem to be riding.

I turn to my admirers even though I'd rather be spending my time talking to a certain blonde woman who has an amused look on her flawless face.

Wow, I'm such a goner already. If I was listening to anyone else having these sappy thoughts I'd be nauseous. It's really not how I normally am with girls that I fancy. Not that I fancy Naomi because, hello, known her for mere minutes. It's not possible to fancy someone that quickly.

I reluctantly move my attention from Naomi and focus it on the three guys still gawking in our direction. "Yeah, can I help you?" I come out sounding a lot bitchier than I intended but my alone time with Naomi is limited and I'd much rather find out where she's been the last ten years.

Also, why she disappeared from my birthday party suddenly and without explanation. I think my time is much better spent investigating those issues than why I'm being ogled by three guys I don't know, or care to know.

"You're Emily Fitch, right?" One of them asks like a giddy schoolgirl.

I sigh internally but don't show them how low my patience is running. Normally I'm all about my fans, just not right now. I think I'm allowed this moment of selfishness. I give them a small smile and nod my head.

"I knew it!" the same guy squeals in a way that if I was straight, would be a complete turn off. "We're such big fans of yours."

Joy.

I want them to leave us alone as quick as possible so I decide to something besides tell them to get lost. "Would you like an autograph?" I'm not usually the one to suggest that but the sooner I can get rid of them, the better.

The three of them appear pleased by the suggestion. They immediately start jockeying for position so they can be the first to get me to sign whatever it is they want me to sign for them.

Oh, boys. So predictable.

I spent the shortest amount of time possible with my three biggest fans, they assure me, before I politely let them know that I have to get going. At least that wasn't as painful as it could have been. Naomi observed the whole thing with that smile of hers that is both dazzling and puzzling all at once. It's like she's in on some kind of joke that she's not telling me.

It's frustrating, challenging and it only makes me want to figure her out even more than I do already.

Although it's early afternoon and despite having consumed a healthy amount of alcohol the night before, I really need a drink. I ask Naomi if she wants anything and she doesn't. I take a detour towards the bar and once I've been served, I gulp down half my drink in one shot.

Now that's something that will definitely help calm my slightly frayed nerves. I decide to finish my beverage so we can continue with our playful jabs at one another. They're way more fun than anything else I have planned for the day.

"Christ!" Naomi exclaims as I chug the rest of my drink. "They wouldn't stop staring at your tits!"

I'm so taken aback by her remark that before I can stop myself, I start gagging on the liquid I was in the process of consuming.

Fucking hell.

I did not expect her to say that to me.

Under normal circumstances I'd be mortified by my reaction but seeing as I'm in the middle of a coughing fit, I have other more pressing concerns to take care of. My humiliation will have to wait until later.

"Christ," Naomi repeats, her voice laced with genuine concern. "Are you ok?"

I try to communicate without words because I'm not able to say anything at present, but instead my coughing intensifies. How lovely. I'm starting to create a scene and I really don't want any more unwelcome attention than I've had already. I grab the glass of water the bartender is shoving in my face. I'm able to get a bit of it down and it's enough to get me to stop coughing.

My throat still feels like it's on fire but at least I've stopped sounding like I'm about to die. That's an improvement, I'd say. As I take another sip of water I notice that Naomi is suddenly a lot closer to me than she was just mere seconds ago.

Actually, not only is she very near me, she's also put her hand on my back and is currently rubbing it in what I'm assuming is supposed to be a comforting way. I assume that because she's also leaning right into my ear and whispering to take deep breaths.

But she's really not providing me much comfort at all. What I'm getting instead are these prickly, tingly feelings that I'm quite enjoying as my body responds to the contact that Naomi is giving me. I'm very aware of how I should not be relishing in this moment too long but if you had Naomi stroking your back, you'd want her to keep going. Trust me.

"I'm really sorry," Naomi says once I've gone a while without another coughing attack. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

I somehow manage to get out a pretty normal chuckle despite my recent death experience. "You didn't freak me out, you surprised me," I tell her before finishing my glass of water.

Naomi has a sheepish look on her face that I find adorable and very attractive. I have no clue how I expect to survive around her if I can't go two seconds without swooning like I am.

"I do tend to be rather blunt," she explains. "Part of my charm, I guess."

"If that's what you want to call it," I snort, but she can tell I'm only teasing. "And rather blunt is an understatement."

Naomi starts fidgeting with the straw that was in my empty water glass. I'll spare you the details on how adorable she looks. "Well, you should have seen them drooling over your cleavage!" She responds in her defence. "I mean, not that I blame them, your shirt leaves very little to the imagination."

My attempt to come up with a suitable retort gets sidetracked when it dawns on me that Naomi is basically admitting to checking me and my low-cut shirt out. That can only be a good thing.

"No one's forcing you to look," I reply with a smirk.

"Jesus, how could you not!" Naomi exclaims as she gestures to my chest. "They're practically begging for attention."

I shrug my shoulders, but my smile remains. "Never had any complaints before."

Naomi leans in and the noise in the bar and the casino goes mute. "I never said I was complaining."

And yet again, Naomi has thrown me for a loop.

Her comment increases the tension level between us. In the best way possible.

We stare at each other for a few seconds and my stomach does this kind of flip flop that it's never done before. Our staring contest lasts a little while longer before we both burst out laughing.

"You're a smooth one," I tell Naomi once the laughing dies down.

"I've heard that once or twice before," she replies cheekily. "Besides I'm not the one with my tits on display for the entire world to drool over."

Other people might be tempted to cover up or make apologies for their appearance, but not me. I'm not ashamed and my top is not as low cut as Naomi is making it out to be. She's just giving me a hard time and I'm so ok with that. I can dish it out and I can certainly take it.

"Maybe I should cover up if I'm going to cause you to have drooling issues." I offer as we leave the bar area. "Wouldn't want you to get dehydrated or anything."

Naomi nudges my shoulder, "Ego much? I wasn't referring to me."

"Oh, ok, sure you weren't." I reply sarcastically. "You basically just admitted to not being able to keep your eyes away from my bust region."

"Bust region?" Naomi echoes with a raise of her eyebrow.

We start laughing again and the endorphins this girl is causing me to have is bordering on addictive.

This would be the part of our fated reunion where our movie montage should begin.

I'll take Naomi on a whirlwind tour of Vegas that'll include a number of different stops. There will be shot of us at the slot machines. We will hit a jackpot and coins will start pouring out faster than we can catch them. Then we will take some time to play craps and our table will be surrounded by strangers who have come to watch. Once Naomi's winning streak kicks in, they will high-five us and cheer loudly with every roll of the dice. The next stop will be to take her to one of the many shows that Vegas has to offer. The camera will zoom in on Naomi and me laughing and having a great time.

Once the show is over we'll walk down the Vegas strip, as we encounter every stereotype this city has to offer. Drunk and disorderly people, prostitutes, a rowdy bachelor party and some questionable young women who are on the verge of appearing in a _Girls Gone Wild_video. Of course, Naomi and I will see none of that because we only have eyes for each other.

As we continue down the strip, I will point out all sorts of things to my companion and she will be both impressed and in awe of such an amazing city. Our montage will definitely include a lot of laughing, smiling and implied flirting.

After our adventure is over, I will walk Naomi back to her hotel room and there will be an awkward moment because neither one of us will know exactly how to end our evening together. Hug? Handshake? Kiss on the cheek? Another kind of kiss?

I will walk away dejected when I don't get what I want. Then right as I'm about to get on the elevator I'll hear Naomi call my name. I will turn around and then get rewarded with a sweet little kiss. Before I realize what has happened I will I find myself in the elevator I hadn't entered sporting a thousand watt smile.

And scene.

Brilliant both in conception and the ending.

I especially like the ending.

If I want to get started on our movie montage we need to get moving right away. My tournament starts soon and I have to return Naomi back to her sister. Not that I want to.

If I could, I'd blow of my tournament to spend more time with Naomi. Obviously, taking into consideration that she'd want that. But, I've made commitments to be there and I can't back out of them. No matter how much I want to.

"Naomi! Naomi!" I hear Darcy screaming like a lunatic. "I've been looking all over for you!"

She sounds like a deranged hen mother. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned her in my head because that would cause her to appear right as I was about to whisk Naomi away for our adventure.

"Calm down, mum," Naomi mumbles under her breath and I can tell she's not happy with her sister's reappearance either. I catch her eye so I can give her a look that expresses my sympathy.

"I've been trying your phone for the last five minutes! Why haven't you answered?" Darcy shrieks so loudly it's like fingers on a chalk board.

"Ease the fuck up!" Naomi fires back and I think she's embarrassed. She shouldn't be though, we can't help who we're related to. Case in point: my mother. "You asked Emily to show me around and that's what she was doing."

"I bet she was." Darcy's is snarling at me and I have no idea why. "That doesn't mean you can just take off and ignore my call."

I so want to stick my two cents in here but speaking as one who has a sister, sometimes it's better just to stay out of things and let them resolve their issues. As the two of them argue, I do notice that Tony is not with Darcy. I would ask her where he went but I don't really care to speak with Darcy more than I have to.

"We're going back to our room," Darcy informs Naomi who is not at all pleased with the news. "I need your help."

"Fine!" Naomi replies unhappily. "Give me a minute."

"I'll be right over there." Darcy says as she points at some weird statue in the hotel.

"Whatever," Naomi scoffs. Is it wrong that I find her scowl so cute? "Fucking, Darcy," she mutters so only I can hear her.

"Sorry you're sister's such a twat," I joke in attempt to lighten the mood.

Naomi sighs. "She means well, but she treats me like I'm still a kid and it drives me crazy."

"Want me to tell her off for you?" Trust me, I would only be so happy to do that for her.

"That won't be necessary," Naomi assures me. "But I do appreciate the offer. Thanks for tour of the casino, it was fun."

I didn't show her that much, but I'm happy she had a good time. I really don't want her to be going, not when she just walked back into my life.

"Anytime," I say as I try to come up with some excuse to see her again. There's no way after waiting so long to find Naomi again, I'm going to let her go so easily.

Naomi looks over her shoulder and Darcy starts pointing at her watch. "You got your phone with you?" I nod my head even though I have no idea why she's asking. "Give it to me."

I hand over my phone without questioning Naomi. My curiosity will have to wait.

Once she's done doing whatever it was she was doing, she hands me back my phone. I look down and notice she's put in a number. Only instead of a name, she's put in "NCSM".

"Who is "NCSM"?" I ask in confusion.

"I guess you'll have to call me to figure that out," she replies in a saucy tone before disappearing into the crowd with her sister.

My face breaks out into a huge smile.

I may not have gotten the movie montage that I wanted, but I'm pretty sure Naomi giving me her number is a good sign that today won't be the last time I'll see her for another ten years.

And that's more than enough to make me very happy.

For now.


	6. Bad Call

**A/N I never intended for their to be such a gap between updates, work has just been super crazy for me. If there is still an interest in me continuing my story you can expect more updates this week and next as I have some extra time on my hands. I hope you enjoy :)**

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><p>Most people have people in their life they can count on.<p>

And I'm no exception.

I know that I can count on my sister to have my back, even though we have our share of disagreements. I know I can count on my dad to be there for me even if that goes against what my mum wants. I know I can count on my brother to be a perverted little fucker even though he really is harmless. And I know I can count on my mum to be disappointed in me, my choices and how I live, regardless of how successful I am.

Then there's poker.

Poker has always been an outlet for me. A way to escape from the daily things that can bog a person down. If I'm stressed, if I'm happy, if I'm looking to relax. No matter the reason, poker has always been something I've enjoyed doing.

Until now that is.

Until Naomi appeared out of thin air.

I've been sitting here, playing my tournament for the last couple of hours, all the while being thoroughly distracted. Normally, running a poker table, making unexpected moves and out thinking my opponent gives me a big rush. That should be the case now, except for the fact that the girl I've spent a decade thinking about is no longer a fantasy.

Clearly I'm not delusional enough to think she's mine, that she's going to one day be mine or anything like that. But I can't deny that there's something between us, even if I'm not ready to define what that is exactly. She gave me her number and instead of using it, I'm sitting at a table surrounded by men, thinking so much about her.

I should be calling Naomi. Right? That's what you do when an incredibly beautiful woman gives your phone number and then gives you a smile that makes your heart go a mile a minute. Right? I'm pretty sure that's the correct move to make.

On the other hand...

No, there's no other hand, not in this case.

Not just because I'm curious what "NCSM" means. Although that mystery certainly has me intrigued.

So many unanswered questions remain where Naomi is concerned, but if I'm being honest, the reason why she disappeared ten years ago isn't why I want to see her again. Of course I want to find that information out, who wouldn't want that? But I find myself drawn to her in a way I've never experienced before. I'm intrigued and mildly terrified all at the same time.

My leg is moving at a fast speed as the little patience I have left runs out. It's ironic that the game I love, the game that has given me so many things to be grateful for, is now standing between me and what I really want.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Not if I have the guts to take the chance that's being handed to me.

What I have to do is call this all in bet that my opponent has made. He has a flush. I know it, he's sure I know it and my two pair isn't going to win me the hand. Good thing I don't want to win right now. I talked about my commitments before, but you know what, fuck it.

Sometimes life gives you one chance and you have to grab it when you can.

Crikey, Naomi has turned me into a fucking greeting card.

And I don't even care. I've spent a lot of time not giving a shit what people think of me and now should be no different.

It's hard for me not to smile when I make the call. I'm so happy to be done with this tournament, a scenario that would never have played its way into my head twenty four hours ago. I hear the murmur of surprise ripple through the room as word spreads about my loss. I don't normally go out of a tournament this early, unless I hit a streak of bad luck.

I consider my luck to be very good right now, actually.

Anyways, enough exposition in my head, it's time for action. I shake hands with the man that's knocked me out, look forlorn enough, do a couple of interviews about how tonight is not my night and how that won't be the case next time. I avoid Tony and what I'm sure will be a lot of questions about what happened. I don't know where Cook is, which is a good thing because, as much as I love him, he can only serve to be a distraction. And now I can focus all my attention on Naomi and what witty things I'm going to say when I ring her up.

I'm barely out of the tournament room when I feel the vibration of my phone in my hand. I'm sure my face registers the surprise I'm feeling when I see the letters "NCSM" flashing. I do the requisite look around to see if I can notice anyone watching me. This is very odd timing, not to mention I don't remember ever giving Naomi my number.

"Hello?" In spite of my poker instincts, I answer the call without disguising my confusion.

"Well that was a pretty shitty way to end your tournament," she replies, adding to my bewilderment. For someone who usually has a good handle on situations, Naomi is disproving that theory in spades.

"Thanks?" is the only response I can come up with. I'm really not sure what else to say right now.

"I thought you're supposed to be some kind of force in the poker world," Naomi teases. Unlike her sister, I can tell Naomi is not trying to be a bitch.

"What can I say? I'm a major disappointment," I tease back. "Story of my life."

"Mine too," Naomi laughs, "We make an interesting pair then, I suppose."

"Card puns really are beneath you," I respond, but I admit I do like that she referred to us as a pair. "Do you want to explain how you knew I got knocked out of the tournament and how you have my number?"

Valid questions if you ask me.

"A girl can't give away all her secrets," Naomi replies coyly.

I can't stop myself from smiling, not that I want to. "They can when the answer might result in restraining orders and jail time."

Naomi laughs. "Wow, ego much? If you must know, my sister texted me after your horrible loss and I was talking pity on you by offering up my condolences."

Is it possible for your face to actually hurt because you're smiling too much? If so, I think I'm in big trouble. Darcy might be a horrible person but if her actions lead to having flirty conversations with Naomi maybe she's not that bad.

"Yes, your sympathy is apparent," I deadpan, "but you still haven't explained how you got my number."

"Ugh you are so irritating," Naomi huffs in a way that is adorable, if you like that kind of thing. "Have you always been this way?"

"Do you always avoid situations by asking questions?" I counter with a smirk she cannot see.

"Whatever," I hear her mumble under her breath. "I thought now that you had some free time on your hands you'd want to hang out but I guess you acting like a prat means you're not interested."

I could banter with Naomi all day. "You're not going to confess how my number happened to fall into your hands? That's ok, I'm sure I'll get it out of you eventually," I tell her as the realization that Naomi just suggested the very thing I busted out of the tournament for. "So you have some free time, yeah? And you want to use it to spend time with me. I'm honoured."

I hear more laughter coming from Naomi, a sound that I could listen to for hours. "Don't mistake pity for honour. I felt sorry that you're such a crap poker player, so I figured I'd offer you my company so you don't feel too horrible about yourself."

"You really are an amazing person. Thank you for your generosity." I did say I could banter with Naomi all day, but I'd rather do it in person than over the phone. "What did you want to do then, besides insulting me?"

"You're the Vegas expert," Naomi replies, sarcastic as ever.

"Fair enough," I agree, "Want to meet me in my suite so I can change and then I can figure out what the plans for the night are?"

"Why Emily Fitch, what kind of girl do you think I am?" Naomi says, her tone cheeky as ever.

This girl is going to be a challenge, I can tell, and I like that about her. "I assure you my intentions are pure."

Not the whole truth but not a lie either.

After going back and forth a few more times I finally get Naomi to agree to come to my room. A development that makes me incredibly happy.

* * *

><p>With about two minutes to spare I'm ready for whenever Naomi gets here. Both Cook and Tony tired to get in touch with me after my unexpected loss but I brushed them both off. Thankfully there are enough distractions in Vegas that I'm fairly certain neither of them will be an issue tonight.<p>

There are some nerves starting to make their way through my body but I'm trying to ignore them the best I can. This isn't a date so there's no reason to have any anxiety. I try telling myself that, but the fact that I have played this kind of scenario out in my head so many times would indicate otherwise.

Being a high roller here allows me the luxury of a very nice and very large suite. So when Naomi arrives we can hang out in an area other than the bedroom. Despite some thoughts I can't help having, I truly am not inviting her up here for that.

We have ten years of catching up to do.

Naomi's knocking allows me to not get caught up in my thoughts. When I answer the door I'm happy to report that the flower jacket she was wearing earlier is still nowhere to be found. She gives me a smile that I return happily.

"Thank you for covering up," she says while gesturing towards my chest. "I wouldn't want our evening to be interrupted by guys falling over themselves around you. That can get old quickly."

Is it me or does Naomi have some kind of fascination with my cleavage?

I shake my head as she walks past me. "Trust me, I'm in not looking for guys to fall over me; they're not really my cup of tea."

Might as well get that out in the open. With her sister being involved in the poker scene, she might have heard something about me already. Besides, my sexuality is not a secret.

So there's no reason to dance around the issue now.

Naomi flops back on one of the many sofas in the room. "You're gay?" It's fairly obvious she's not at all surprised by my statement.

I join Naomi in sitting down as I soak in the reality that she's actually here with me. "I'm ecstatic!"

There's a moment of silence before we both start giggling.

I can't remember the last time I giggled with anyone. It's like she's bringing out this whole other side to me that I wasn't even aware I had.

"Touché, Emily, touché," is the response I get from the blonde sitting across from me.

I fold my legs underneath me as I get more comfortable. I'm in no rush to share my time with Naomi with the big crowds on the strip. "Now it's my turn. Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

I can't properly explain the little flutter my heart does when I'm on the receiving end of one of Naomi's smiles. It's mind boggling.

"I'm Naomi: I hate injustice and people who ask questions like 'tell me about yourself,'" she replies.

"Hate is a very strong word," I say pretending to be hurt.

Naomi shrugs, unaffected by my pouting. "You'll get over it."

"I see that winning personality of yours must run in the family," I retort but my tone remains light because I don't want our joking to turn serious.

"Darcy isn't that bad," Naomi tries, but I think she realizes that I'm not all the keen to believe her. How can she blame me? The two times I've met her, Darcy has been nothing but dismissive of me. "Ok, she's got an edge, but that's part of her charm."

"Like you?" I joke earning myself another one of those award winning smiles.

"At least you find me charming," Naomi replies, once again taking things in a direction that I wasn't expecting.

Granted my interactions from years ago don't give me a lot to go on and who knows what's happened to her since then, but I just thought she'd be a lot more guarded than she's acting at present. I welcome being wrong in this case, I really do.

"You think I have the ego problem," I joke, earning me a pillow thrown in my direction. "Real mature," I say before chucking the pillow back towards Naomi.

"Way to show your guest a good time," Naomi tells me. "If I would have known this is the way I was going to be treated, I would have stayed back in my room."

"And miss out on my company, how tragic would that have been?" I get up and walk over to the bar in the room. "Fancy a drink?"

Naomi nods her head but there's a glint in her eye that indicates she might be up to something. "You should bring a bottle with you so we can play a game, in the spirit of getting to know each other better."

With no ability to say to her and without the real desire to, I agree to Naomi's suggestion. I grab a full bottle of vodka and two glasses and make my back to Naomi to see what she has in store for us.

I take a seat on the floor around the coffee table and Naomi quickly joins me. The grin she's sporting makes me both excited and a little uneasy about what's to come. My high tolerance for alcohol should give me an advantage in whatever game we end up playing.

While I've been off in my head again, Naomi has poured us each a drink and her glass is already in the air. "To new friends."

"To new friends," I echo before clinking our glasses together.

The burning sensation that hits when the vodka goes down my throat is nothing compared to the feeling I get when I see how intently Naomi is looking at me.

* * *

><p>We've been playing her game for the last half hour or so and I've learned some very interesting things about Naomi.<p>

She's shoplifted, she's kissed a girl and presumably liked it, she's had sex in public, she's cheated on a test, she's been arrested a few times at different political rallies and she slept with a security blanket until she was ten years old.

Not exactly ground breaking information but we've laughed so much my stomach is actually hurting. The half empty bottle of vodka might have something to do with our constant laughing.

She's learned some stuff about me, too; it's not been a one way street. Nothing that I'm ashamed of and nothing that I wouldn't have wanted her to know anyway.

Well, maybe the time I got caught skinny dipping but I don't need to get into that now.

"I've never had a threesome," Naomi says while trying to keep a straight face.

I pretend that I'm not going to drink for a few seconds before I down it in one shot. The amount of vodka being poured into my glass has increased as the game has gone on.

"I've never had a threesome," I repeat before we both start giggling again.

Turn about is fair play.

Naomi rolls her eyes before downing her shot. "You are not scoring points for originality."

"You're the one that made up the rules, you have to live by them." I fill her glass to the brim because I'm that bad ass.

I think this vodka is hitting me harder than I thought it would. Good thing room service is on its way so I can get some much needed food into my system.

"I've never cheated on my partner," Naomi continues much to my dismay.

In my defence I was young and stupid and really angry with the world.

"Bloody hell," I mutter under my breath without touching my glass.

Naomi responds with more laughter, not the reaction I was expecting. "You're terrible, Emily."

"Yeah, yeah." At least my past discretion is coming up in this way and not some super serious discussion that would involve a lot of angst. It was a onetime situation that I would never repeat again. That I'm confident of. "At least I'm not an ex-con."

"I was standing up for my beliefs!" Naomi exclaims indignantly. "You should be applauding me, not judging me."

I roll my eyes, "Sorry Saint Naomi, I'm in awe of you."

"As you should be," she smirks. "As you should be."

We play a few more rounds of Naomi's game before we're out of vodka completely.

"What are we going to do now?" I ask as I eye my empty glass. There's no way I can go out in public right in my current state and I don't really want to leave anyway.

Naomi's expression turns decidedly evil. "I have an idea if you're willing to try something new."

I should be mildly terrified because being around Naomi is more unnerving and makes me let my guard down more than I'm used to. But with her, my defences feel like they don't need to be up. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen.

I give her a tiny smirk because whatever she has in store for me, I'm willing to play along. "I'm all about experiments, me"

And that seems to be exactly the response she was hoping for.


	7. Bound

**A/N Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed my story. It's nice to know that you are enjoying what I'm writing. It really is appreciated :) Hope you're all enjoying this holiday season.**

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><p>I've been with my fair share of women.<p>

It's not a fact I'm ashamed of, but I'm not terribly proud of it either. I'm not adverse to being in a relationship and the idea of being with one woman isn't a frightening concept to me.

I can't tell you exactly why I haven't taken that step as an adult. I just seem to hold back a part of myself from any girl that's showed an interest in taking things to the next level. It's not because of some big fear of mine. It's more like I haven't felt that "thing" people feel when they've really connected with someone.

I would love to be able to blame my mum and her complete rejection of me as a person for playing a role in my perpetual single status, but I won't.

So as I watch Naomi rummage through her giant bag with a wicked grin on her face my mind drifts off into an area I didn't think it would go. No, my thoughts are not of the dirty variety. Well, not all of them anyway. My head is instead filled with all these images of the two of us doing coupley things together.

It's the strangest thing.

I can't say I ever remember having fantasies like the ones I'm currently experiencing. I have no idea what is wrong with me. I shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts.

Not about Naomi.

Not when I've known her for such a short period of time. Yes, yes, we met ten years ago but that doesn't really count, does it?

Not when I don't know much about her besides those tidbits of information she shared with me.

She could be a serial killer after all.

Sure that's not likely but who is to say it's not a possibility.

I find myself acting out of character around her and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that. I'm not perfect by any means, but I do have a good life, a life I enjoy and a life that isn't really designed for being in a relationship. I'm on the road a lot, I spend hours upon hours playing poker and to say there are many distractions available to me would be a huge understatement.

It's crazy to be thinking about this, I can acknowledge that. But I have an analytical mind that likes to look at situations from all angles before I act. See my successful career as proof. I should just be enjoying my time with Naomi and seeing where the night takes us.

It's difficult when you are an over thinker to just leave logic behind. I want to now though, I really do. Perhaps the copious amount of alcohol can help me in this endeavour.

"Got it!" Naomi exclaims with a fair amount of glee.

"Fuck that took forever to find." I make sure my response has just the right amount of snark to it. That does seem to be a theme in our interactions so far. "I've nearly lost my buzz."

"Keep your pants on," Naomi rolls her eyes and I kind of hope she doesn't mean it. "Besides that won't be an issue when we spark this." She holds up a big spliff quite proudly.

"That's the new thing you want me to try?" I ask, the disappointment in my voice is impossible to miss. "I don't quite know how to tell you this..."

"No, you git, that's not what I was talking about." Naomi flicks my forehead and I don't know whether to laugh or be offended. "This is just to get us in the mood."

"That fucking hurt!" I pout as I rub my head. "There's no reason for you to get rough with me."

Whoops.

That came out a lot more gay than it sounded it my head.

"Duly noted," Naomi smirks at me and then she cocks her eyebrow just a little bit. It's just about the sexiest thing I've seen her do...so far. "I will not get rough with you."

"Ass!" I am tempted to start another pillow war but decide against it. "Get us in the mood for what?"

"You'll see," Naomi sings out before lighting the oversized joint in her hand.

I want to be annoyed with her constantly not telling me what she actually means. I want to, but I find it near impossible. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood."

I take the joint from Naomi and ignore her protests that it wasn't my turn yet. There's not much conversation between us as we pass the joint back and forth. The silence isn't uncomfortable and I like that I don't need to be bantering with Naomi to be enjoying myself.  
>The tingly sensation that I'm getting from the weed is a welcome and very familiar feeling. It's been a while since I've really let loose. I'm usually focused and sober when I'm in tournament mode. My partying last night and tonight being an exception. Besides, I don't have another poker commitment for the next little so why not have a good time?<p>

I'm still curious as to what Naomi's plan for us is, but I'm taking this spontaneous attitude seriously so I refrain from asking her what's going in that beautiful head of hers. It's hard but the jolt I get every time our hands brush together makes it all worthwhile.

Naomi finishes the last of the joint and I'm more than ready to find out what happens next. Of course that all gets forgotten when room service arrives. I jump up to answer the door because I'm even hungrier than I was before I smoked. I tip the guy who brought us the food that I'm now salivating over. I'm not really concerned that he will know what Naomi and I have been up to. Like I mentioned before, I'm a VIP guest at this hotel. I'd have to do something a lot more severe than smoke some pot to get kicked out.

I wheel the cart over to Naomi and I'm about make some kind of smart ass remark when I notice her on the phone. I don't think she realizes I've gotten the food because her back is to me.

"Hey Darce," I hear her say. "Yes...yes I know...I'm fine..." I should probably give her some privacy but the suite is not that big. "I'm fine!" She repeats that so forcefully I almost jump. I don't think I would make a very good spy. "I know you do...you don't need to worry about me...yes, I'm with her..." Interesting, I wasn't sure if Naomi had told her sister about coming over. She doesn't seem to be my biggest fan. "I know, I was there too...I'm not deaf for fucks sake..."

Hearing one side of a conversation really does leave a lot open for interpretation. I have no idea what is making Naomi so pissed off and I probably shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions. I'll save that for later when I'm sober.

"Yes...yes...I understand!" I probably shouldn't find Naomi's angry voice so sexy. "Bye Darce...yeah...good luck..." Naomi ends the call and I do my best not to make it obvious that I was eavesdropping on her.

"Foods here!" I announce in an overly chipper voice. Naomi gives me a tiny smile but her eyes show me that she's still annoyed. "Everything ok?"

"Of course I am, just famished is all," she replies while suddenly finding the floor quite fascinating.

I don't like that things have now gotten weird. The vibe between us was so carefree and lovely before. It's not like I needed another reason to find Darcy a twat and yet she just won't stop getting on my bad side.

"Let's dig in then," I suggest to try and set the mood right again. I have a feeling that pressing Naomi on Darcy and their exchange is not the right move to make.

My proposal is rewarded with another killer smile from Naomi and suddenly Darcy is the last thing on my mind. My heart is once again racing and the buzz that I'm now feeling has nothing to do with alcohol or drugs. I have no possible idea if I react this strongly without even touching Naomi what it would actually be like to kiss her.

Naomi sits down at the table I've set up for us. "Looks good."

Yes, she really does.

Whatever weirdness that was felt after Naomi's conversation with her sister doesn't seem to linger as we share our meal together. I find talking to Naomi incredibly easy even with the many questions I have for her.

"You ready for my smashing idea now?" Naomi asks after we've cleaned up. We're back on the floor and we've just finished our second joint. There might also be another open vodka bottle beside us. Tonight is about having fun without thinking too far ahead. "Hello, Emily. You paying attention?"

"Sorry," I say as shut down any part of my brain that isn't focused on tonight. "Yes, please share your utterly amazing idea with me." Naomi goes rummaging through her bag for a second time. "What exactly do you have hidden in there, Mary Poppins?"

"Well, I am practically perfect in every way," Naomi replies without looking at me. "Here we go!"

She slams a deck of cards on the coffee table we're sitting around. "You want to play cards?" How exactly is that something new for me? This girl is like an enigma wrapped in a very confusing riddle.

"Not just cards," Naomi says, looking exasperated with me. "Poker!"

"You want to play poker with me?" I know I sound like a parrot but none of this is making any sense to me. "This is your smashing idea?"

Suddenly Naomi's face transforms into the most adorable pout known to mankind. "You don't like my idea?"

Her pout should come with some kind of warning.

"It's not that, exactly," I start as I try to stay strong in the face of such cuteness. "But you asked if I wanted to try something new and you do realize I play poker for a living right?"

"Of course I do!" Naomi replies like I'm stupid. "I'm not daft." She leans over the table and her face transforms yet again but this time that twinkle of mischief is back. "But you usually play poker for money. Tonight I was thinking we'd play for clothes."

"So let me see if I'm understanding you correctly." My head is a little fuzzy so there is a chance that I'm not hearing her right. "You want to play strip poker with me, a professional poker player and that's the smashing idea of yours?"

"Pretty good one, yeah?" Naomi looks so impressed with herself.

I wonder if she started smoking before she came over. Otherwise I'm not really getting what she's thinking.

She wants to strip for me?

Not that I'm opposed to that idea necessarily.

"You do know I am very good at poker?" I ask because I really need to drive this point home. When I win all her clothes, I don't want to be accused of taking advantage of the situation. Wait, why am I fighting her on this exactly? "Maybe we should just watch a movie instead."

"You chicken?" Naomi challenges before she starts shuffling the cards.

I would probably take her more seriously if she wasn't slurring her words. "Maybe you got me drunk and high so you could beat me and get to see me naked."

I've played poker a lot more inebriated than I feel so I'm really not worried.

"Honey, your body ain't that special," Naomi fires back with a very smug grin. "If you really are scared we can do something else."

I'm not one to back down from that kind of statement.

I might not be making the best decision, but I'll have a naked Naomi to console me if I'm wrong.

"Shuffle up and deal," I tell her, my confidence oozing.

* * *

><p>"Call!" Naomi says much to my dismay.<p>

Fuck me.

She was supposed to fold.

What was in that weed exactly? It's rendered me poker stupid.

We've played four hands and I've lost all four of them. How is that even possible? I don't win every single time I player poker, but I certainly don't lose to amateurs.

Although the way Naomi is playing you'd think she was the poker pro, not me.

"Going to show me your bluff, Ems?" Naomi inquires, her delight evident. "I do believe you owe me another piece of clothing."

"Sod off," I reply bitterly. I'm not usually a sore loser but I should be winning. Every hand. "You sure we're not playing with a marked deck?"

Naomi laughs, "You think that's the only way I can beat you?"

I grumble in response and take another shot of vodka. That will help me play better.

I somehow manage to win the next hand and the one after that. Naomi takes off the sweater she was wearing and suddenly I'm not so annoyed at her anymore. If I can keep my concentration up, I might have a shot after all.

"Is that a pig on your shirt?" I ask before dealing the next hand. "Classy."

"What can I say, it's what all the super models are wearing," Naomi says before dissolving into a giggling fit.

She must be really gone because I do not get that joke.

"Well, it's better than that god awful jacket you were wearing earlier." Whoops again. I did not mean for that to slip out.

"Bitch!" Naomi slaps me on my shoulder but she doesn't look that mad. "That's a lovely jacket."

"Oh, ok, whatever you say." I am thankful I didn't really upset her. "It is lovely," I pause a few beats, "if you're seventy."

Naomi chuckles. "This coming from the girl who wears such low cut shirts it should be illegal."

"It's good to know you still have strong fascination with my breasts," I state matter-of-factly.

"Let's continue playing," Naomi says while pretending to be irritated.

Although I fell behind early, I'm able to even the match up pretty quickly. I'm still not sure how Naomi is keeping pace with me, but she is. Little minx.

As our clothes come off, there is a definite shift in the dynamics between the two of us. We remain as sarcastic with each other as ever, but there's a tension present that wasn't there before. I guess stripping in front of a girl you fancy will do that.

When Naomi loses her trousers I do my best not to look. I can't help myself though, so when I do catch a glimpse of her very nice legs, my throat goes completely dry. Nothing that won't be resolved with some more vodka.

I lose the next hand and that means I'm the one that has to remove my trousers next. It feels really strange to be taking my clothes off like this, with Naomi looking and with me being glad that she is.

The stakes are incredibly high now. The next person to lose has to get rid of her shirt and will be left only in their bra and pants.

I can't believe we're actually doing this.

We're descending quickly to a point from which there's no coming back and I don't think I'm able to stop where we're going. I'm not even sure that I want to.

Naomi wins her second hand in a row and there's nothing left for me to do but take my top off. That's a sentence I wasn't expecting to happen tonight. She's no longer smiling as I make a move to remove my shirt.

"It's a little chilly," I breathe out.

Am I actually sitting with Naomi in barely anything?

Maybe this is that dream of being nearly naked that I didn't think actually happened?

This is all so surreal.

"I can tell," Naomi snickers and I don't know whether to laugh along with her or cover up.

That would be against the rules I suppose.

I deal the next hand and pray to the poker gods that I come out on top next. So to speak. They must have been listening to me because I do in fact win, on a stone cold bluff.

I'm glad my mad poker skills aren't completely gone.

Naomi slowly takes her top off and I try very hard not to drool. Her cocky demeanour is replaced with a shy smile. I'm not sure if I should be turned on or if I should be tackling her in a big hug. Quite the conundrum if you ask me.

Despite her lack of clothing, I actually find my eyes drawn to hers. This is suddenly starting to feel very wrong. I had my hesitations before but now they are full blown doubts. I'm not looking for a roll in the sack with Naomi: a one off where she goes her way and I go mine.

Under normal circumstances, if I had a hot girl in my hotel room, practically nude, I'd go after exactly what I wanted. Here's the thing, I don't know what I want from Naomi, but I know I don't want that.

Not now anyway.

Outside of sounding more like Meatloaf than I'd ever have a desire to, I am certain that changing the direction of where we're headed is the right thing to do.

I only hope that Naomi isn't too disappointed.

I just need to figure out how best to broach the subject. "Naomi..."

"Need a break?" Naomi says quietly.

"Yeah," I agree. I'm so grateful that we are on the same page...again.

She throws her top back on and so do I. Neither of us puts on anything else. We wouldn't want to do anything crazy now.

"You do realize that your reputation as a world class poker player is now trashed?" Naomi has regained her snarky nature.

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is the best I can come up with.

"I don't know, I think I have quite a good story to sell," she threatens. "I could use the extra money."

"I'm serious," I say without cracking a smile. "That's the code of Vegas, you are bound to keep tonight's events a secret."

Naomi raises her eyebrow to me for a second time. I really wish she'd stop doing that because it's just another thing that she does that I'm powerless against. "You want me to be bound to you? Kinky!"

I smack her, although not hard. "Why do you make everything sound so dirty?"

"That's how I roll," Naomi responds and then we both start laughing.

I love laughing with her.

Naomi gets up and turns on some music, loudly. She starts dancing around in the way that drunk people do. I barely have a chance to admire her form before she pulls me up with her.

I don't even know what song is playing, I just know that I'm having such a good time. I'm sure we'd look ridiculous to someone watching but it doesn't feel weird to me. And apparently it doesn't feel weird to Naomi either.

Without warning our feet get tangled up together and suddenly we're go crashing to the ground. I can't breathe I'm laughing so hard.

That laughter stops though when my mind catches up to the fact that I'm not wearing trousers, neither is Naomi and I'm practically on top of her. A great place to be, but my earlier resolve not to let anything happen that we're not ready for seems stupid.

Very, very stupid.

We're not kids and we don't have to answer to anybody.

I make no attempt to get up as I revel in how amazing it feels to be this close to Naomi. I feel like I'm burning up as our bare legs continue to touch.

My heart is beating so erratically I would be more concerned if I wasn't feeling so good.

My breathing is ragged and I can hear that Naomi's is as well.

If I thought things were tense with us before, that doesn't even to compare to the charged nature of the situation we've found ourselves in. I can't stop looking into Naomi's eyes as I decide what to do next.

Go for it or try and go back to the fun we were having before?

I think I know what has to be done.

"Naomi," I whisper right as I make my mind up. "I really want to kiss you."

I'm not sure why I feel the need to announce my intentions. I think it's because I want to give her the chance to say no. I don't want her to say no, obviously, but I need to know she wants this just like I do.

My statement is met with complete silence.

Just when I'm about to feel incredibly stupid she finally speaks up. "Emily..."

"Yeah?" I say as I lean down so I'm very close to her face.

And her lips.

I can't help myself.

The look on her face tells me I'm not about to be rejected.

"Emily..." she repeats in that sexy voice of hers. "I'm going to be sick."

I barely have a chance to react before she shoves me off her and makes a beeline for the bathroom.


	8. The Harsh Light of Day

**A/N A very big thanks to all of you who took the time to review the last chapter. You made my face do this :) My goal is to have my next update done sometime over the weekend. I hope you all have a very Happy New Year!**

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><p>When I have allowed my mind wander off into dirty Naomi thoughts, they usually have a common theme.<p>

Naomi in my bed.

Naomi moaning and writhing around a lot.

Naomi calling my name out.

Now that I have her doing all those things, I have to admit that the fantasy of Naomi versus the reality of her being in my bed is not exactly what I bargained for. That might have something to do with the presence of vomiting, but maybe that's just me.

"Oh God," Naomi groans loudly and not in a sexy way.

I'm in the other room, cleaning out the trash bin, but I stop what I'm doing immediately and rush over to see what's wrong.

I kneel down in front of her. "You going to be sick again?"

I better get out of range just in case.

Naomi shakes her head. "I don't think so." She has her eyes closed and she seems to be snuggled nicely under the covers. "I am sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I assure her before she can say anything else. "It's not your fault that you're a lightweight who can't hold her liquor."

Just because Naomi is feeling like crap doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on her. I'm sure she'd do the same in my shoes.

"Not funny," Naomi replies with a hint of a smile.

I put a cold cloth on Naomi's forehead because I think that's what you're supposed to do when someone is feeling sick. "Yeah, it actually was."

It's dark in the bedroom except for the light in the passage that I left on. I also heard once that people who aren't feeling well don't like a lit room.

Right after Naomi threw up, the first time, I thought that would be it and she'd be good to go again. That wasn't the case though. Under normal circumstances I would have let her get everything out of her system before checking up on her. But when Naomi didn't emerge in a relatively timely manner, I thought it best to see if she was ok.

She wasn't.

Her head was slung over the toilet and she was making noises that made it clear to me she needed my assistance. After she emptied the contents of her stomach a few more times, with me holding her hair back, I helped her into my bed. Not how I imagined the first time I had Naomi in my bed to be like.

Apparently Naomi wasn't done vomiting, but I think we might have passed a corner. It's been about fifteen minutes since the last time she's been sick.

I hold up a drink to Naomi's mouth. She starts to protest but when I assure her it's just ginger ale, she takes a few sips.

"Better?" I ask when she she's done.

Naomi nods her head and then she does something totally unexpected.

She bursts into tears.

It only takes a few seconds for her to be full out sobbing.

And I have no idea what to do.

As someone who is usually in full control of her emotions, I'm not really sure the best way to comfort Naomi. I grew up with an emotional sister, but Katie's outbursts usually resulted in a lot of yelling and profanity, not tears.

I can't leave Naomi in this state; that's not an option. From my kneeling position I awkwardly scoop her up in my arms. I pat her back in what I hope is a soothing motion. I also try to ignore the small part of me that is concerned I might get thrown up on.

Naomi buries her head in my neck while I try to ignore how good it feels. I should not be having any kind of inappropriate thoughts at a time like this. That would be in poor taste.

"You must think I'm such a tosser," Naomi says while sniffling.

"Just a bit," I tease but I make sure my tone is light and not at all sarcastic. I pull back a little and can see that her face is still as beautiful as ever, but tear stained. "You need to stop apologizing," I tell her seriously.

Naomi eventually breaks our embrace to wipe her eyes. We're still in very close proximity to one another; neither one of us seems anxious to move away. She looks like she wants to say something but isn't quite sure how. "I've ruined our night and cried like a baby."

I chuckle a little, I know I shouldn't, but her sad eyes are making her more adorable than should be allowed. "The only way you're going to ruin anything is by blaming yourself and making this into a bigger deal than it is." I can tell she's embarrassed and while I understand why she is, I don't want her to be.

Naomi shoots me a look that tells me she's not convinced. "You're just being nice. I've made an ass out of myself."

"Don't make me get tough with you," I warn. "I may look little, but you don't want to mess with me."

That comment does earn me smile, albeit a reluctant one. "You are kind of scary."

"Says the girl who just re-enacted _The Exorcist_," I fire back playfully. "Now that was scary."

Naomi swats my shoulder, "You're supposed to be comforting me, not making me feel worse."

"You're right, my apologies." I reply. "Why don't you lie down for a bit and I'll come back and check on you in a few."

Again Naomi seems like she wants to say something, but she just nods her head and lies back down.

I'm not sure what to make of the recent turn of events. Hopefully Naomi will feel better soon and she'll stop blaming herself for getting sick. We've all had a few too many and paid the price for it later. Besides, I don't think any less of her. If anything, I'm finding myself drawn to her even more than I was when I was checking her nearly naked body out.

I finish washing out the bin that Naomi vomited in when she couldn't make it back to the toilet and then I decide to tidy up the suite a bit.

When I finally have nothing better to do, I go back to the bedroom to check on my patient. It's quite the change taking care of someone besides Katie when she needs it. I never thought I'd like this kind of role, but strangely I do.

I quietly tiptoe over to the bed because if Naomi's passed out I don't want to wake her. She doesn't move as I approach and I breathe a sigh of relief. If all goes well, she will sleep it off without another incident.

I'm fairly certain the couch in the other room is also a pull out bed. I can sleep there, leaving the door open a little so if Naomi needs me in the middle of the night, I'll be able to hear her.

I start to move away from Naomi when I hear her call my name.

"Emily?"

"Yeah?" I whisper. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't," Naomi assures me. A few seconds pass without her speaking again and then a few more seconds pass. Whatever she wants, she's not being very forthcoming about it. "Do you think..." she hesitates and as I much as I want to push her to just ask me what she wants, I decide to be patient. Do you think you could stay with me until I fall asleep?" Her voice is so soft that she almost sounds like a little kid.

"Absolutely," I reply instantly. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks," Naomi says quietly. "I really appreciate it."

"Just remember that when you think of telling people about you almost beating me at poker," I tease as I climb into bed.

"I would have had you," Naomi protests. "I didn't want to hurt your ego too much."

I chuckle. "Sure, sure, if that's what you want me to believe." I lie down beside Naomi, but I'm careful not to crowd her. "I think you should be concentrating on not being sick again instead of giving in to your delusions of grandeur."

"Noted," Naomi responds. I feel her shift in the bed and when I look over she's on her side, facing me. "Thanks for everything, I'm not usually this high maintenance."

I feel myself moving closer to her even though I am trying to keep my distance. "Good to know, I wouldn't want you to make a habit out of this."

Naomi goes very quiet and I can't figure out why.

"I don't mean that I don't want to see you again," I say in an effort to get my foot out of my mouth. I think she misunderstood my intentions. "Because that's not the case at all. I just meant..."

Naomi silences me by putting her finger on my mouth. "I know what you meant, don't worry."

"Oh good." I breathe a sigh of relief. The last thing I need to do is make things awkward between us. "You should get some rest."

"You're going to stay with me, right?" Naomi asks nervously.

"I have no place better to be," I assure her and that's the truth.

Things go quiet but not in a bad way. I lie next to Naomi while waiting to hear the sounds of her breathing indicating that she's fallen asleep. I guess I didn't realize how tired I was because without warning I feel my eyes getting very heavy. The last thing I remember before sleep overtakes me is Naomi's hand coming to rest right beside mine.

* * *

><p>I wake up before Naomi which doesn't surprise me. I'm amazed I didn't wake up multiple times during the night just to make sure I didn't imagine our whole encounter. I've dreamt enough about us meeting again that it was such a relief to open my eyes and see her sleeping peacefully beside me.<p>

She was curled up under the covers with her back to me and it took a lot of control on my part not to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real. I restrained myself somehow and made sure to leave the room quietly.

I threw some clothes on before I left the room and freshened up a bit in the bathroom. I'm sure she looks spectacular first thing in the morning and I wanted to make sure I didn't scare her with my "just woke up" face.

I order breakfast for the two of us and then wait patiently for Naomi to wake up. I try watching the telly but there's nothing on. My constant channel changing is bugging me but I don't know what else to do.

I'm in the middle of watching some shit reality show when I hear a crash come from the bedroom. I spring to my feet to find out what's going on.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I hear Naomi exclaim before I can open the door.

That can't be good.

When I do open the door it's like there's a tornado of blonde hair moving around the room.

"Shit!" Naomi repeats desperately.

I'm not quite sure what she's freaking out about, there are a few different possibilities. "Naomi?"

"Where are my trousers?" Naomi shrieks without looking at me. "I need my trousers!"

I ignore her question because I'm more concerned about getting her to calm down. "Why don't you just relax for a second..."

"I can't relax!" Naomi cuts me off forcefully. "I need my fucking trousers and I need to get the fuck out of here."

Ok, I wasn't exactly expecting her to call me her hero or anything this morning, but I didn't think she'd want to run away from me. I'm not sure why she's spazzing out and I'm not sure I want to know why.

"I can get them for you if you just give me a second," I tell her while trying to disguise the hurt in my voice. I know my reaction seems strong but I really hoped we'd get the chance to spend more time together over breakfast. That doesn't seem like a possibility now.

I return with Naomi's pants a few seconds later and hand them to her while keeping my eyes on the floor.

"Emily, wait," Naomi calls out before I'm out of the room. I turn around even though a part of me doesn't want to. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

I shrug my shoulders. "That's ok, I'll let you get dressed and then you can go."

I sound pathetic, even to me.

"No, no, that's not what..." Naomi trails off and we seem to be at a standstill. She doesn't want me to leave but I have nothing to say. "When I woke up this morning I didn't really know where I was and then I remembered last night and how much of a freak I was and I just..."

Naomi's cheeks go red and I realize that her reaction doesn't really have anything to do with me and it's more about her being mortified about her own actions.

"I'm such a tit," Naomi finishes with an exasperated sigh.

"I have some dry toast and tea ready for you when you put your clothes back on." I say in an effort to move past her outburst.

There's no need to make her feel even worse and I really want the chance to have a normal conversation with Naomi. No alcohol, no drugs, just a chance for us to learn more about each other.

Naomi gives me a smile that says so many things but most of all it sets my heart a flutter that only seems to happen with her.

I'm such a goner.

I sit down at the table feeling so much better about things. I'm not ready to say we're going to get married or anything, but I do feel that whatever we're doing is back on track.

Naomi emerges from the bedroom a few minutes later looking spectacular, of course, and a tad apprehensive. I motion for her to sit down but before she can join me, someone starts bashing on the suite door like a madman.

"Naomi!" Darcy screams before pounding the door again. "Are you in there? Open this fucking door right now!"

I glance over at Naomi and the look of horror on her face makes me feel sorry for her. It also makes me want to strangle her sister, but one issue at a time.

"I swear to god if this door isn't open if five fucking seconds I'm going to bash it down!" Darcy warns and I don't think she's kidding around.

Naomi doesn't move so I guess that leaves it to me to face the music. I've barely unlocked the door before it swings open and nearly smacks me in the face.

Darcy is so lucky that I want to make a good impression with Naomi so I don't clock her one.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Darcy screams at Naomi, ignoring my presence completely. "Do you know how many times I've tried to call you and you didn't answer your phone?"

I might consider stepping in but I have a sister and it's usually best just to keep out of whatever is going on between them.

Instead of yelling back, Naomi stays calm. "I didn't realize my ringer was off, I..."

"You didn't realize your ringer was off?" Darcy echoes loudly and with a lot of sarcasm. "What's the use of having a phone if you don't use it properly? For fuck's sake Naomi I don't think it's so much trouble for me to be able to get a hold of you! You know how..."

"I've got it," Naomi mumbles. If I thought she was embarrassed before, I can only imagine what she's feeling now. "It won't happen again."

"You're damn right it won't!" Darcy snaps like the mega bitch that she is. I'm not saying I don't understand why she's upset, but I don't really get the severity of her reaction. I think someone is a drama queen.

"I said I got it," Naomi repeats with her teeth gritted.

I feel like I'm at the scene of some horrific accident and can't look away.

Darcy doesn't appear to be appeased by Naomi's reassurances. "You're not to leave the hotel room again unless I say it's ok and if you ever have your phone off again I'm going to..."

I wasn't going to get involved, but I can't hold my tongue anymore.

There's no need for Darcy to treat Naomi like a child, that's just uncalled for.

"Hey, Darcy, can you go be a cunt somewhere else?" I ask rhetorically.

"Emily!" Naomi exclaims in horror.

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

Darcy forgets about Naomi for a second so she can point all of her venom at me. "Don't you dare interfere in this, you bitch. This is all your fault."

Me?

What the hell is she talking about.

"Enough!" Naomi shouts before things spiral even more out of control. "Let's go." She grabs her sister's hand and starts to drag her out of the room.

I stand there and watch her go, because really what else can I do. Just as Naomi is out the door she turns around and mouths "sorry" to me. I try to mouth a response back to her but it's too late. I can hear the two sister's yelling outside my room but their voices quickly fade away and I'm left to try and process the events that just occurred.

* * *

><p>A few hours have passed since Despicable Darcy (my new nickname for her) appeared and ruined my morning time with Naomi. I'm not a violent person by nature but I would love five minutes alone with her so I can make her back the fuck off.<p>

She must have psychological problems, otherwise I can't figure out why she reacted so strongly to Naomi not going back to their room the night before.

I've thought about texting Naomi so many times but I didn't know what to say. I have no idea what's next for us or if she will be able to get away from her sister's clutches so we can see each other again.

I let out a very loud sigh as I sulk over Naomi having the world's worst sister. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted?

Without plans of any kind, I decide to head down to the casino to see if I can play a bit of poker. That might help me take my mind of things, even though I suspect I will be very distracted. I grab what I need, my phone included in case a certain someone tries to get a hold of me, so I can leave.

I open the door and much to my surprise and delight, Naomi is standing there.

"Hi," she says as she shuffles her feet.

"Hey," I reply while trying not to appear overly excited that she came back.

Naomi takes a deep breath, "I had no idea Darcy was going to show up."

"I know." I can't help myself and smile widely. "We don't choose who we're related to."

"Very true." Naomi returns my smile but she's acting really nervous. "I didn't want to leave like that."

"How did you manage to get away from her?" I inquire, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"She's asleep," Naomi explains and that twinkle in her eyes that I saw so much of last night is back. "Snores like a bear."

"You're taking a big risk," I inform Naomi. "You sure getting in trouble is worth it?"

Naomi nods her head and then she takes a step towards me. "I uh...I uh..." She's so close I can feel her warm breath on my face. Her eyes won't leave mine and my stomach starts to flip flop uncontrollably.

My throat feels like it's closing shut and I haven't blinked in almost a minute.

"I really want to kiss you too," Naomi whispers before she presses her lips softly against mine.

Just as quickly as the kiss began, Naomi pulls away and once my brain catches up to what just took place, she's already gone.


	9. Beautiful and Smart

**A/N Thanks as always to all of you who left me feedback! It really is very appreciated. As a side note, this is my longest chapter yet. Work is slated to be quite hectic for me this week so probably won't have another update done until next weekend. I hope you're all having a good start to 2012.**

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><p>"So, Emily, how would you rate your trip so far?"<p>

That's an interesting question.

With a potentially interesting answer.

The interviewer looks at me expectantly but I'm not quite sure what to say.

Naomi kissed me.

That is by far the highlight of any trip I've had in recent memory. Her lips were pressed softly against mine, for not nearly long enough mind you, but that doesn't change the fact that they were there.

Naomi kissed me.

Two days later and I'm still having a hard time believing it actually happened.

The warm sensation that she left on my lips with that ghost of kiss leaves me in no doubt that it was real. I did briefly get scared that I'd imagined the whole thing. Especially with my history of Naomi-fuelled daydreams.

Naomi kissed me.

I don't care how many times I've repeated that in my head, it never gets old or less amazing. The girl that I've spent ten years thinking about actually kissed me.

But that's not what the interviewer is interested in hearing about. Although he is a guy so I'm sure me retelling a story where two women kissed would not be something he would object to.

I'd love to say that I was able to catch Naomi after she took off. I'd love to say that I got to her right as she was about to get on the elevator. I'd love to say that I spun her around, kissed her with every ounce of emotion I could muster, thereby knocking her off her feet.

I'd love to say all of those things happened, except that would be a big lie.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go after Naomi. To rescue her from her hotel room where she was set to be imprisoned by her witch of a sister. To show up on a noble steed so the two of us could ride off into the sunset together.

Too much?

Yeah, I think so too. It's not really my fault though. My mind just hasn't been the same since two days ago.

Since Naomi kissed me.

By the time my brain had made sense of what had happened I had no idea what to do next. I thought countless times about calling Naomi or sending her a message but I didn't know quite what to say. I had ideas which involved suggesting a lot more kissing for a lot longer than our first lip lock. As timed moved on, the moment to make a move passed, in my mind at least.

I'm not at all suggesting that things are over between Naomi and me or that I'm just going to forget the incredible spark I feel when I'm around her. I'm not an idiot. I just need to figure out what I should do next.

Plus I'm hoping that if Darcy is given a cool off period she'll stop acting like a mother hen. If that happens then she won't be the obstacle I've already pegged her to be.

"Penny for your thoughts," the announcer offers earning him a laugh from the small crowd gathered around us.

"Sorry," I say as I force Naomi to leave my head for the time being. "Obviously I'm not happy with my last result but you can't win every time."

"Very true, very true," he replies with a nod of his head. "But you've had one of the best years of any female pro, probably ever."

I smile the smile I reserve for publicity events. "If that's the way you want to look at it sure, but I prefer just to think of myself as having a great year, regardless of my gender." A politically correct response that has some truth to it.

The announcer gives me a look that tells me he doesn't believe everything that's coming out of my mouth. "But your goal is still to be the first female world poker champion, right? I think everyone remembers what happened..."

I try my very best not to appear put off by the line of questioning this asshat is now going down. He's not wrong. I've made it perfectly clear to anyone who wants to listen that I want to be the first women to be at the top of the poker world. Why wouldn't I want that? I was so close last year.

So fucking close.

If it wasn't for a run of bad luck, real bad luck, I would have gotten there. I've spent the past three hundred and fifty odd days answer questions about what if. While I do like to have a good time, I'm also very passionate about my career and my goals.

And winning this year's championship is at the top of my "to-do" list. Well, besides doing Naomi, so to speak. I've been hungry for this for a long time and maybe my win will finally prove to my mum and everyone else who's doubted me that they were morons for not being on my side.

When you're in a profession that's dominated by men it's hard to get recognized for being good at what you do on your own merits. Some people think I have an advantage because of my sex, or how I dress, or my impeccable flirting prowess, but they're all dead wrong.

And in less two weeks that will be proven in spades.

"Do you really need to bring that up?" I ask like I'm joking. I refuse to let anyone see what I'm really thinking in my head: _Way to make me feel even worse about last year_.

The announcer laughs. "I'm sorry, Emily, that won't happen again." He laughs again and even though I kind of want to punch him, I don't. "Why don't we turn our attention to your newest team mate and someone who I think might give you a run for your money in a couple of weeks."

I really hope my nostrils aren't flaring right now.

"That's sweet of you to say!" Darcy gushes and I have to work extra hard at not making obscene hand gestures. "But I'm really still learning the game."

I nearly throttled Tony when he told me he'd arranged for Darcy to join my interview. He could tell I was upset but he thinks I'm feeling threatened by her. I'm not, at all, thank you. Tony is just clueless and doesn't realize what a horrible person Darcy is.

She was nice and pleasant when we sat down to do the interview, giving no indication of her freak out in my hotel suite. Or her rude behaviour when we first met. If I thought Naomi was an enigma than her sister is a puzzle I have no desire to solve.

I know her performance today is just an act. I can see right through Darcy and while I feel no threat coming from her in my professional life, I certainly do feel it in my personal life. That's why I won't tell her off again.

Unless she gives me a reason to.

"Your final table appearance in your first international tournament says otherwise," the interviewer counters and I struggle so hard not to roll my eyes.

It's hard to believe that I dislike someone I barely know. I suppose that says a lot about Darcy and her ability to bring the worst out in me. While she prattles on and on with false modesty I search the people in the room to see if I can spot Naomi. Sadly my search is for naught because I can't find her anywhere.

The interviewer asks us each a few more questions and then we're done. I have no desire to hang around and make idle chit chat. What I'm going to do instead is head back to my suite and come up with a game plan on how to handle the Naomi situation. I need the chance to spend more time with her, preferably alone.

"How are my two favourite ladies doing?" Tony asks as he puts his arms around Darcy and me.

Where is a lucky streak when I need it?

"I'm doing super, T," Darcy replies in a perky way that makes me want to slap her.

I can't stand perky, especially when I have things to do and Naomi to contact.

Plus, and I know this is going to sound petty, but since when did Darcy know Tony well enough to give him a nickname? He's been my business manager for years, not the two seconds he's known Darcy. She really is being a proverbial pain in my ass.

I am fully aware that I'm being childish and I'm really ok with that.

"Excellent," he says with a grin before I can answer. "I was thinking that we could head down to the..."

"I can't," I tell him before the sentence is complete. I have no idea what he was going to suggest, but I know with a hundred percent certainty that it would be some kind of promotional thing I don't want to attend. "Plans, sorry."

Tony starts to object but I take off before he can try and convince me to change my mind. Even if Naomi wasn't in the picture, the thought of having to spend more time with Darcy than necessary is more than me or my stomach can bear. It's not like I'm worried she's going to steal the spotlight from me. She can have her moment without me being around and once I get everything sorted with Naomi I'll show Darcy why I'm near the top of the profession we share.

Once I'm out of sight from Tony and Darcy I breathe a little easier. That all changes seconds later when I realize I don't have any excuses to avoid Naomi any longer. I have many questions and some doubts, but no excuses left.

I take my phone out of my pocket in the hopes that it will spur me into action. I suppose the first thing I should decide is whether I should call or text her. A call is more personal but a text lessons the awkwardness that I'm sure will present in our first conversation since our kiss.

Our kiss.

"Hello."

I am certain I jump ten feet in the air at the sound of Naomi's voice.

I turn around in what I hope is a cool manner and try to pretend that my heart is not racing a mile a minute. Not only because Naomi startled me but more because she's now so close to me I could touch her. And let me tell you that touching her is definitely something I want to do.

I force my mind to slow down so I can have a decent conversation with Naomi and not make a fool out of myself. I'm sure my face is slightly red and my palms are suddenly a bit sweaty.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Naomi says looking as beautiful as ever.

To say that she's a sight for sore eyes is a tired cliché, but a sentiment that is so very true.

The reality of her is still far better than anything I can come up with in my head.

"You didn't," I assure her even though we both know it's a lie. "Hi."

"Hi," she replies with the sweetest smile on her face.

"Hi," I respond back because I can't think of anything else to say.

We spend the next few minutes exchanging little glances at each other and I feel like some sort of giddy school girl. I should come up with a suave line of some sort but all I want to do is keep my eyes trained on Naomi so I can soak in everything about this moment and everything about her.

"Hi," she repeats back causing both of us to giggle a little.

At least I'm not the only one struggling with the English language, as it were.

My next attempt at making conversation happens at the exact moment Naomi tries to talk. That results in neither of us getting a chance to say anything and more nervous laughter.

I think I could spend a lifetime staring into Naomi's eyes. That's how warm and inviting I find them. It's a good thing none of my friends can read my thoughts, or even Naomi for that matter, because of how much I'm gushing over her. It's not really me or my style but she brings out this side to me I didn't even know I had.

"I'm sorry I took off the other day," Naomi says and I admit my heart almost sank because I thought she was going to apologize for kissing me.

"I'm not sorry you came back," I tell her so there's no doubt in Naomi's mind that I was very happy she kissed me and am open to future snogging. I know it's a risk to admit that because there's always a chance that she could want to take that moment back or wish it didn't happen. It's a risk I'm willing to take, especially where Naomi is concerned. I'm also taking into consideration that she kissed me so there's a strong chance she's exactly in the headspace that I'm at.

"That's good," she replies with the most adorable expression of shyness and relief that I can possibly handle.

"Are you looking for your sister?" I ask for some stupid reason I can't comprehend. It's not my fault really. Being around Naomi turns my brain to mush.

Naomi shakes her head and that intensity I was trying to avoid earlier comes rushing back like a tidal wave. "I was looking for you."

"Oh." Is the only reply I can come up with.

Naomi gives me a coy smile. "Oh? That's all I get?"

Is it wrong that I want to grab Naomi and kiss the hell out of her right here, for everyone to see?

Instead of engaging in a bantering session with Naomi that I'm sure I'd enjoy, I decide to go a different route. "Are you busy tonight?" I shouldn't be this anxious asking a question that I probably know the answer to. "If you're not confined to your room, that is."

Naomi shakes her head a second time and the way she chews on her bottom lip is making it very hard for me to remember that we're in a public setting. "What did you have in mind?"

There are so many responses that pop into my head, a lot of them dirty.

In terms of places to take someone you're trying to impress, Vegas has a long list to choose from. Money would be no object of course. If I wanted to show off I could probably have most of this town at my disposal.

I'm not trying to impress Naomi though.

That didn't come out right. What I mean is that as much as I'd love to wine and dine Naomi, what I want most of all is to have time together, just us. I'm all for going out and painting the town red, when it's appropriate. We're practically strangers and if we're going to move beyond the crush stage, we need to get know each other better.

And I don't mean in the biblical sense.

There's no need to rush where I hope we end up going.

"I have a pretty nice TV in my room, we could order dinner in and maybe watch a movie," I suggest. The only downside to my no-need-to-try-too-hard-to-impress-Naomi plan is that I hope it doesn't come across like she's an afterthought.

Naomi looks down at the ground briefly and then back at me. "Any particular reason you're trying to get me alone in your room?" She smirks in a way that makes me weak in my knees. "Again."

I know she's only teasing and possibly flirting with me but for some reason she puts me on the defensive. Never a good place to be. "Just so you know, my first thought when I see you is not 'I want to fuck that girl.'"

Naomi bursts out laughing and I seriously want to die. "Thanks for clearing that up. I was worried, you know."

I'm sure my cheeks are the same colour as my hair. My mouth is not acting like my friend at the moment and I'm a little scared to find out what's going to come out if it next. "Can we just forget what I said?" I ask hopefully.

"I was looking forward to our night in though." Naomi juts her bottom lip out in a move that is so unfair because I'm powerless against her. Why is it that my normally tough exterior is so easily penetrated by her?

Even when I'm talking to myself what I say comes out perverted.

"No, that's not what I meant..." This girl is going to have me in knots shortly. "I was talking about..."

"Emily," Naomi whispers softly, her voice stopping me mid sentence. "I was only teasing. I would love to spend the night with you."

It's Naomi's turn to look like a fish when she realizes how what she just said could be interpreted. We both share an easy laugh before heading off together.

* * *

><p>"Now easy on the vodka tonight, yeah?" I say as I close the door. We've been teasing each other back and forth on the journey to my suite. I can't believe how enjoyable it is just being around Naomi.<p>

I turn around and find that Naomi is standing right in my personal space. Not a complaint, just an observation.

She's chewing on one side of her mouth suddenly looking very much on edge. "Hi." She's so quiet I almost don't hear her. "I just wanted to..."

"You just wanted to what?" I ask just as nervously as she sounds.

"I just wanted to..." Her voices trails off a second time but I don't get the chance to question her again because she closes the gap between us.

Catching me by surprise I feel Naomi press her lips so softly into mine. This time I'm not too shocked that I don't respond. I start to move my mouth along with Naomi in a kiss that is even better than our first.

Before thing get really intense, she pulls away and while I'm a tad disappointed, I have a strong feeling a third kiss is not going to be out of the question.

Naomi appears flustered. "I uh...I thought it was best to get that out of the way so we...uh...so we're not too distracted the rest of the night."

"Beautiful and smart, a lethal combination." I reply boldly.

Naomi blushes and all I want to do is kiss her again. "Such a charmer you are."

We stand around for a few minutes just grinning at each other. Once we settle on what we went to eat for dinner we sit down. I had a few fleeting thoughts about giving her another tour of my bedroom but I'm really not looking to rush things. The thought that she might be leaving Vegas soon threatens to put a damper on what is slated to be a wonderful night.

"What have you been up to the last couple of days?" I ask, although that's not what I really want to find out. This whole live for the moment notion isn't so easy when I have thoughts like Naomi heading back to England going on in my head. I'm going to be here for at least another month, if not longer.

"Trying to find the nerve to ring you," Naomi admits and yet again my insides are turned to mush by her. "And hanging out with Darcy." I let out a snort that leaves no doubt about my feelings and my once squishy heart is no longer in swoon mode. "She's not that bad once you get to know her."

"I'm sure," I say, clearly not believing Naomi. "How long are the two of you planning to be out here?" I try to act casual with my question, but my stomach does tighten up as I wait for a response.

Naomi hesitates a little causing my anxiety level to rise. "Indefinitely."

I exhale slowly while trying to suppress the ridiculously big smile that is threatening to overtake my face. I guess I had nothing to worry about. "I have a question for you."

"Ask away," Naomi assures me before she leans back against the sofa. She looks so relaxed I feel almost mean for what I'm about to do.

"Seeing as I had the privilege of cleaning up after your many vomiting sessions, I figure you owe me an honest answer." This time I don't hide my smile. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"That better be your question," Naomi mutters under her breath. I don't think I'll ever get tired of bugging her, she's just so easy.

"No, sadly it isn't." I say with fake sincerity. "What does 'NCSM' stand for?"

I've been dying to know that for a while and now feels like the right time to find out. I'm pretty pleased with myself I have to say. I bet Naomi didn't see that question coming.

"You suck," Naomi groans, but she gets no sympathy from me. "It's really lame and not even that funny."

"Then you should have no problem telling me what it stands for." I reply with just the right amount of cheeky glee. "Right?"

Naomi appears sufficiently uncomfortable and the way she pulls her knees to her chest as she tries to stall for time makes her even more endearing to me. She tries to huff and pout her way out of answering but I won't let her get away with that. "My last name is Campbell," she starts as her eyes dance around the room to avoid me. "You know, like the super model..."

It takes me a few seconds to clue in to what she's getting at. "Oh, Naomi Campbell, Super Model?" My guess earns me an embarrassed head nod. "You're right that really is lame." I start laughing and don't stop even when Naomi tries to protest.

"You could at least say it was cute!" Naomi exclaims indignantly.

"I always wanted to date a super model," I manage to get out through my continued laughing.

Naomi pretends to be miffed. "Shut it!"

I don't even care that I made a reference to us dating and Naomi doesn't seem fussed by it either. I'm not really sure what I did to deserve this chance with her and I will do everything I can not to mess it up.

Dinner arrives shortly afterwards and my teasing of Naomi continues throughout the meal. It's not one sided though and I can't remember a time when I enjoyed myself more. She's a lot of fun to be around and I find myself falling more and more for her as the evening goes on.

We argue briefly about what movie we're going to watch until we eventually settle on one that looks mildly entertaining.

Whether we realize it or not, throughout the movie Naomi and I move closer and closer to each other until we're shoulder to shoulder. Every time she breathes I hold mine because it feels so good to be sitting with her like this.

I keep stealing glances at her out of the corner of my eye and a part of me knows that she's doing the same thing. My stomach becomes filled with butterflies and I feel warm all over.

Within a few seconds my hand is slowly moving over hers in a move that feels more intimate than a lot of what I've experienced wearing significantly less. Both our eyes remain fixated on the television but neither of us our paying attention to what is going on. That I'm sure of.

It hits me that Naomi has kissed me twice and maybe I need to step up so she knows what I want. Or, more specifically, who I want.

I shut my eyes for the briefest of moments as I work up the courage to make my move. When I open my eyes again and look over at Naomi she's staring intently at me. I gulp as the intensity of what is happening hits forcefully.

I tilt my head up so my lips can find their rightful place on Naomi's. The sigh that she emits right before our mouths connect is music to my ears.

We stay like that, kissing softy, until long after the movie has stopped playing.


	10. Happy To See Me

**A/N My sincerest apologies for the giant gaps between updates. I have no idea if there's anybody still interested in reading my story, but I am still interested in writing it. I am going to work my hardest to finish this fic even if I can't give you a timeline on how quickly that will happen. I will be back with the next chapter as soon as possible. Thanks as always to anyone who takes time to leave me feedback, it is always appreciated. **

"You owe me," I tell Naomi matter-of-factly.

She leans up on her elbow and flashes me the cheekiest of grins. It makes me melt inside and also makes me want to kiss her again. Not that I really need an excuse to want to kiss Naomi again, she's rather good at it. "Owe you for what exactly?"

We're lying on the floor, a position I'm not quite sure how we found ourselves in, the opposite direction of one another. I follow her lead and sit up a little so know we're looking right at each other. My stomach does a summersault and I can feel my heart rate pick up. It's almost like the last few minutes that we haven't been making eye contact has allowed me to forget how striking Naomi is.

I'm not even sure how that's even possible.

She's that gorgeous.

"Well, I paid for that movie and you distracted us so much we didn't even get a chance to watch." I explain while trying my hardest not to smile.

Somehow my infamous poker face isn't working with Naomi.

I don't know if that's good or whether I should be worried about it.

"Yeah?" Naomi responds while doing that thing that she does with her mouth that is quickly becoming a weakness of mine.

And it's only been a few days that I've known her.

Well, a few days plus a decade I suppose if we want to get technical. I keep forgetting that little aspect of our history together. Not that I'm saying we're _together _together, because that would ludicrous and completely the opposite of not rushing things which is what my intentions are.

I wonder if now would be the right time to bring up that little tidbit of information.

I'm reluctant to, though, for a number of reasons. I think the whole thing could result in a lot of awkwardness between Naomi and me. I much prefer the flirting and snogging we've been engaged in recently versus the alternative. Plus, if she does remember, why hasn't she brought it up? And if she doesn't remember is it even worth saying anything?

"Earth to Emily," Naomi starts to wave her hand back and forth and that's enough to break the internal debate raging in my head. "Are you normally this spacey?"

If I couldn't see the expression on Naomi's face or hear the tone of her voice there's a chance I could take that as an insult instead of the teasing I know she's doing. I try to think of something witty to say. Some way to continue the lovely bantering we always seem to be engaged in, but I've got nothing.

That is so not like me.

"Should I take that as a yes?" Naomi asks before laughing.

I don't have time to react or feel slighted by her comment because her fingers have found their way to my hand and suddenly I don't care much about anything else right now. Her touch is so light it's almost like she's a ghost but I feel her in almost every part of my body. She's leaning forward and is sitting nearly upright. My mouth appears to be having difficulty opening and my throat has gone desert dry.

How can Naomi have such an affect on me?

Better yet, do I really care?

"I wasn't being serious," Naomi whispers and I'm pretty sure the answer to my last question is a resounding no. "I don't think you're some kind of head case."

"Good to know," I reply, thankfully with a chuckle. My behaviour was headed towards Weirdtown.

Naomi lets out a big dramatic sigh and then she lies back down. "I guess I must just be boring you." She pretends to look wounded. "Had to happen eventually."

I fake yawn, playing along, "I'm glad you were able to figure that out on your own. " I copy Naomi and lie back down so we're not really looking at each other. "Saves me from trying to figure out how to let you down gently."

"I can see how hard that must have been on you." Naomi says continuing our charade. Unbeknownst to me she's about to take things up a notch. "I better be going then. Don't want to be around when you fall asleep on me."

That is the last thing I want.

And Naomi knows that.

I do believe she's playing a little game of chicken with me.

"Can you see yourself out?" I ask coolly. "Seeing as this night has been a total bust there's still time for me find something better to do."

Two can play at this game.

Naomi doesn't respond immediately and I allow myself a moment to revel in my victory. That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

The longer the silence goes on, however I admit I start to feel a twinge of nervousness. Is it possible I made a miscalculation? Did I push things too far? Did I just fuck up big time?

When I finally work up the nerve to look at Naomi, I see her smirking at me.

She's fucking smirking at me!

How did that happen?

"Got you nervous, didn't I?" She asks so smugly on anyone else I'd find it annoying. On Naomi though, I find it unbelievably attractive.

I'm pretty sure that means I'm a lost cause and I don't seem to have a problem with that.

"Whatever," I reply dismissively, but we both know I'm lying. "I wasn't worried at all."

Naomi isn't having any of it, "Oh, Emily, you're cute when you're flustered."

"I'm not flustered!" I protest without really taking in that Naomi called me cute. "I'm not!"

"If you say so," Naomi says with an air of superiority that should infuriate me. "Maybe I really should be going, seeing as I've upset you."

What?

What is Naomi doing?

What is going on?

I'm really confused and can't figure out what the hell is happening.

Naomi starts to get up so I rush to her and then gently grab her arm. Once again I'm greeted with the sight of a triumphant Naomi. "Anyone ever tell you how easy you are?"

I don't have the chance to respond to her statement because in my haste to reach my infuriating companion for the night, I lose my footing. "Shit!" I let out right before I tumble towards the ground, taking Naomi with me.

Serves her right.

We end up tangled together on the floor, just like the other night. And just like the other night we start laughing.

We're both idiots.

Playing a stupid game like that for no reason.

Serves us both right.

On the other hand, if playing games with Naomi leads to us being on the floor a lot, I won't complain.

It's really hard to get up because neither of us can keep our composure for very long so we keep ending up even more entwined together. It's like something out of a bad romantic comedy.

I try one more time to regain some of my dignity, but fail miserably like I've been constantly doing over the last little while. This time I end up right on top of Naomi and both of us aren't laughing anymore.

The feeling of déjà vu is with me again.

All my thoughts of taking things slow, of not rushing into anything, of enjoying the sweetness of getting to know Naomi leave my mind. How can I have those thoughts when my whole body is pressed into hers and desire is starting to take over?

It rushes through me faster than I know how to react to it.

Liquid hot desire that leaves me breathless.

I'm staring right into Naomi's icy blue eyes that cause the temperature in my hotel room to shoot up. Her lips are calling to me but I can't seem to move.

I'm frozen because the rational part of my brain knows that I should not give into what my body is shouting for me to do. I'm not looking to shag Naomi and then move on. I really want to get the chance to learn more about her and sex will only complicate that.

But the non-rational part me is telling me that I'll get to have incredibly hot sex with Naomi.

Multiple times, I'm sure.

You can see my dilemma.

I never really believed that two people could have such incredible chemistry together in such a short amount of time, but clearly I was wrong. Whatever is going to happen now, or down the road, there is no denying that I'm very attracted to the woman beneath me.

And I'm going to wager that the feeling is entirely mutual.

"Emily," Naomi groans, her voice giving away exactly what she's feeling.

Just as I suspected.

"Yeah," I reply, my lips hovering over hers.

I really, really, really hope we're not about to repeat exactly what happened the first time we found ourselves in this position.

Naomi pushes her body up, but not in a way that makes me believe she's trying to get up or that she's about to get sick. "Kiss me," she demands and any resolve I had to keep things from escalating beyond the point of no return goes flying out the window.

I close the gap between Naomi's mouth and my own without a second thought. This time the kisses between us are anything but soft. They're hard, hungry and all consuming. I find myself getting lost in them and not caring in the least.

Naomi's fingers move from the floor to my hair. It's like she's using them to keep me in place but she doesn't have to be worried about me leaving. That's not about to happen anytime soon.

When I can't really breathe anymore I reluctantly stop kissing Naomi, but my lips don't take a break for long. Instead they start moving along her jawline all the way to her neck. I'm guessing she's a fan of what I'm doing because of she's voicing her approval.

Noises that fuel my desire to a point I don't think I've really felt before.

And I've definitely never been this turned on wearing so many clothes. As my mind starts to wonder what being naked with Naomi might feel like I'm brought back to the present by Naomi bringing my mouth back to hers.

Her hands are now on my back, making their way under my shirt.

Fuck.

Fuck yeah.

This is so much better than I ever could have dreamed of.

Or fantasized about as it was.

The room is quiet except for the noises and sounds of pleasure we're both making.

It's therefore a big surprise when Naomi stops kissing me. I look down to see why we're no longer connected by our mouths. I see that her hair is all messed up, her lips can't hide what we've been doing and her face is as flushed as mine feels.

Fuck she's sexy.

I decide not to question Naomi about why she stopped and instead I decide that thinking is way overrated. I lean down to resume what we were doing, but Naomi talks before I can cover her lips with mine.

She points her finger downwards and I'm completely clueless as to why. "Happy to see me?"

"Huh…what…" I shake my head a little to try and make sense of what she's asking me. It finally dawns on me what she might be implying and while I enjoyed our joking around before, I'm not enjoying it now. It makes no sense to me that she'd rather kid around than continue our intense and amazing make out session.

"You're vibrating," Naomi explains but what she's saying still doesn't make sense to me. My confusion must be evident because she keeps going. "I think your mobile is in your pocket and it won't stop vibrating."

"Oh." Well that clears that mystery up. "I don't really care if I'm being honest."

I really fucking don't.

In fact, to show Naomi how serious I am about not caring, I think throwing my phone against the wall to make sure it doesn't interrupt us again sounds like a smashing idea.

Pun not intended.

"It could be important." Naomi says, her voice is quiet and I swear there's some kind of meaning behind her words, but I can't figure out what that might be.

In my defense, the lust-filled thoughts running through my head might be the reason.

I know I'm not going to win this battle and the sigh that I let out as I sit up and off Naomi probably does nothing to hide how frustrated I am. It's not like I'm mad at Naomi, but I can't figure out why all of a sudden she's pulling back. Maybe the intensity of the moment caught her off guard and she needs a little breather.

Let's hope that's the case.

I give Naomi a small smile before I answer my phone that's started to vibrate again. I want her to know I'm not upset with her even if I am upset that we're no longer pressed so deliciously close together.

On the bright side there's no reason why we can't find ourselves like that again.

"What?" I practically shout into the phone.

Oops.

I might not be mad at Naomi, but there's a very good chance I'm going to wring the neck of the person who's calling me repeatedly.

They have the worst timing ever.

"Oi! Bitch! What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?"

"Hello, Katie," I sigh. It's going to take forever to calm her down.

"Don't 'Hello, Katie" me!" she exclaims causing me to move the phone from my ear. "You want to explain why you're acting like such a cow?"

I knew this wasn't going to go well.

"I'm sorry," I tell her through my gritted teeth. "That was rude…"

"Yeah, it really fucking was," she agrees. Her voice has dropped a few decibels and my eardrums are thankful for that.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I shut my eyes. "Can I ring you back? I'm…"

"Uhm, no you can't," she snaps, cutting me off. She starts rambling about nothing I care about and when I look over at Naomi to try and apologize for what is undoubtedly going to be a long conversation I see her getting up.

Fucking Katie!

"Don't go," I plead, not caring if I sound pathetic. "Please."

I make sure to mute the call so Katie can't hear that I'm not focused on her.

Naomi turns around and before I can say anything else, she presses her lips really softly against mine. "I promised Darcy I wouldn't be late tonight. I'm sorry."

"Ok, I understand," I lie.

Things have gotten strange between us and I don't know why.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Naomi promises before she leaves.

My head is spinning from the recent turn of events, both the good and the confusing.

"Yeah, I'm here," I tell Katie as I flop back on the sofa. She is going on and on about something I'm not paying attention and one thought keeps repeating itself over and over again in my head.

Sisters ruin everything.

* * *

><p>It's been about nineteen hours since Naomi left in a hurry last night. Not that I'm obsessively counting or anything.<p>

She hasn't called me yet.

I have heard from her a couple of times via a few brief text messages, but that's about it.

I've replayed the events of last night countless times, certain parts more than others, and I still can't figure out Naomi's disappearing act. I wish she'd stop taking off on me.

Granted the first time wasn't her fault.

Still, I'd really like to know why she left in such a haste and why she reacted so strangely to Katie's call.

I'm not one to push, though, so I'm going to trust Naomi when she said she was going to call. I'll be patient and let things play out the way they're supposed to play out.

The sound of someone pounding on my door is enough to stop my Naomi-fueled thoughts.

For now anyway.

I check to see who it is and even though a part of me wished it was the blonde that hasn't truly left my thoughts since I first laid eyes on her at that party, I had a gut feeling that it wasn't her.

I barely have the door unlocked before my sister comes barging through.

"Took you long enough," she complains before letting go of the multiple pieces of luggage she's been carrying. "Happy to see me?"

Naomi's words from last night are echoed back at me and it makes me wish that I was back to that moment with her, before my phone rang.

"Jesus, could it be any fucking hotter here?" Katie asks while making her way over to the bar. "I don't understand know how you can stand it."

"Please make yourself at home." I tell her, my sarcasm at an all-time high.

"Oh, I plan to." Katie says after she fixes herself a drink. "Me and Eff are going to be staying with you a few days. I know you don't mind."

Could this get any worse?

It's not that I don't love my sister, but I had to share a room with her growing up and I was sure I'd left those days behind me.

"Any particular reason you can't stay in your own room?" I inquire as nicely as possible.

"Because she blew all her money in L.A. shopping," Effy explains, her voice as monotone as ever. "We barely had enough cash to make it here.

I didn't even notice Effy had entered the room.

She has a way of doing that.

Effy lights up a smoke and takes the drink that Katie made for her. She sits down on the floor, the floor that Naomi and I were on last night, and then takes a look around. "Nice place."

"You know, there's only bed and as close as I am to you two…" I'm hoping that Katie will catch on to the fact that I'm not keen to be roomies with the two of them.

"No problem, we can crash on the sofa," Katie seems oblivious to what I was implying or she's just ignoring me.

It's likely the latter.

Katie usually gets what she wants.

It's been that way for as long as I remember and I don't really expect that to change any time soon.

"Fine," I huff, not wanting to get into an argument with her.

"So I heard you really blew your last tournament," Katie says with a laugh. "That's not like you at all."

"Always so supportive," my mood is going from bad to worse. I know Katie really doesn't mean anything by it, but that doesn't mean I have to like being teased.

"What the fuck, Emily?" Katie barks. "Lighten up."

"Something's wrong," Effy announces, her eyes haven't left mine since she arrived.

"Nothing's wrong!" I insist a little too hard.

The two of them won't stop looking at me and it's making me very uncomfortable.

I never should have agreed to Katie's idea of coming out to visit me.

"Eff is right," Katie says, "you're different somehow."

What is up with the two of them?

And can they please leave me alone?

Effy puts her cigarette out and quickly lights up a second one. "Emily met someone."

How the fuck does she know that?

I need to get out of here.

Right now.

"Oh my god, you're right!" Katie squeals loudly. "I can see it all over her face."

"Must be someone special," Effy surmises, but doesn't explain how she's reached that conclusion.

"You're both mad," I snap. "Mad!" I need a break from these two and their uncanny ability to know exactly what is going on with me. "I'll be right back."

I make a beeline for the door before either one of them can stop me. I just need a few minutes to get my shit together and hopefully by the time I return my sister and Effy will be consumed by something other than whether I've met someone.

A girl can dream.

Of course when I open the door who should be standing on the other side of it?

Naomi.

Perfect timing.

"Hey," she says timidly. "Sorry I haven't called you, but I was hoping I could come in and we could talk."

Oh fuck me.

I really don't want Naomi to meet Katie just yet.

I need to prepare her for my sister and what she's like.

There's nothing wrong with Katie, but she can be a bit full-on at times and that has the tendency to scare some people.

Plus we have things to discuss and with my new houseguests that won't be possible.

"Now really isn't a good time," I explain quietly as I shut the door behind me. "Can we catch up later?"

I'm too flustered to have a proper chat.

"I just wanted to say about last night…" Naomi keeps her eyes on the ground but then she looks up at me before continuing. ""I know we haven't really discussed what was going on between us but…"

The door behind me is flung open before Naomi can finish what she was going to say.

"You must be the girl my sister met." Katie says proudly. "I knew it!"

I really hate my life sometimes.

"I'm Katie," my sister says, sticking her hand out to shake Naomi's. "We're not identical twins by the way, so in case you get any inappropriate thoughts, I don't swing that way."

Naomi seems just as taken aback by my sister's brashness as I am.

"Katie!" I exclaim before she can make the situation any worse. "Shut it."

Naomi takes my sister's hand and then she gets this look on her face that I can't quite figure out. "Thanks for letting me know. I wouldn't want to get confused and fuck you with my big strap-on by mistake."

My mouth falls open as Naomi's response leaves me speechless.

Katie bursts out laughing and Naomi seems pretty pleased with herself.

"Oh, she's feisty," Effy says from inside the suite. "I like her."

That makes two of us.

My sister puts her arm around my shoulder, "Ems here promised to take me and Effy out tonight," she says even though that never happened. "You must come with."

It's like I'm witnessing a train wreck and can't stop it from happening.

"I'd love to," Naomi eventually replies, but I admit she does look apprehensive. She leans in and kisses my cheek. "We'll talk later," she whispers in my ear. "I better go get ready."

I'm left staring at an empty hallway after she leaves and my sister goes back inside my hotel room.

I am unable to figure out what exactly just happened.

On the other hand I get to see Naomi again so that can't be bad.

Right?

Except I can't stop thinking about what she was going to say to me earlier and the thought of that conversation leaves me with a pit in my stomach that won't go away.


	11. Jumping to Conclusions

**A/N Thank you so much for letting me know there's still interest in this story, you made my face do this :) and it was unexpected considering how long a gap there was between updates. Will be back with another chapter as soon as possible. Merci beaucoup again! **

Before I had the chance to throttle my meddling sister, I received a call from Tony about a couple of upcoming events that he needed to run by me. Katie's lucky because the time I've spent talking to him has calmed me down just a little. Not all the way, but enough that she should be thankful.

I laugh to myself as I walk back inside the suite. The thought of Katie ever being scared of me is hilarious and completely farfetched. She's always been the one that's been quicker to anger and, subsequently, violence than me. I'm not saying she's some kind of psychotic violent person, far from it, but if you get on Katie Fitch's bad side, I feel sorry for you.

Growing up, Katie was always the centre of attention, while I stayed more in the background and let her gladly have the spotlight. People used to say that I allowed Katie to walk all over me, but they just didn't get the dynamic of our relationship. I never resented that she got noticed more than me; I actually liked being in the background.

It was an interesting change in the dynamic of our relationship when my poker career took off. Suddenly I was the one everybody was talking about and I was the one being noticed. I admit it did feel nice to get recognized for the hard work I had put into doing something I love, but it was hard for Katie. Don't get me wrong, she loves me something fierce, but that doesn't mean she was happy about me having all this new-found attention.

Same thing happened when I finally decided to tell my sister that I fancied girls. At first Katie refused to believe me, she thought it was just a phase. With my mum's brilliant parenting and despite the fact that we both rebelled against our identical wardrobes, she didn't want us to be so different.

I could spend hours delving into why I think that it, but it's not important. What is important is when my mum decided that I was going to always be a gigantic disappointment to her, Katie came around. It was one thing for her to have an issue with me; we are sisters after all, fighting is a natural part of our relationship. Getting rejected by my mum was enough for Katie to overlook any issue she had regarding who I want to date.

If I had any good thoughts about my mum, I'd be sort of grateful that she's full of hate and judgment because that aspect to her awful personality gave me my sister back. Our relationship isn't full of sappy moments and bonding sessions, but being someone that Katie Fitch loves and wants to protect, means I'm one lucky person.

Once I close the door behind me, I'm greeted by the sight of Katie giving me the smuggest of looks, while Effy's face registers very little emotion. I'm used to that though. Effy is the one who should be the poker star, she's that unreadable. They're sitting on the sofa and I know they're waiting for me to say something about Naomi.

Instead, I decide to flip my sister off.

"Oh stop being such a sensitive lezzer," Katie remarks as I walk over to the bar to fix myself a drink. I better make it a strong one because I have no idea how this night out is going to go. I smell disaster. "You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" I say, the exasperation in my tone is impossible to miss. "For what? Being a nosy cow?"

There's no malice behind my words, really. Even though I am a little pissed about Katie's antics, this is just how we work together. Katie doesn't do sappy or touchy feely and neither do I.

"Stop acting like a tit!" Katie orders while Effy just watches on in what I think is amusement. Like I said, she's hard to read. "Tell us all about your girlfriend."

"She's not my…" I don't bother finishing the sentence because I know that I'm not going to win right now. Katie's not about to let this subject go so it's probably easier just to tell her about Naomi in the least amount of detail possible. That way I can hopefully get out of this conversation quickly and then I can figure out what I will be wearing later.

Just because I'm a little bothered that Katie set this night up that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and impress the girl I can't stop thinking about.

I nick a smoke from Effy and then I tell the two of them about Naomi and what's happened over the last few days. Well, I do give them an edited version of events because there are certain things I do not discuss with Katie, no matter how close we are.

"Her sister sounds like an uptight bitch," Katie correctly observes. "I swear if she messes with you I will…"

"Leave it, Katie," I say even though I really appreciate her standing up for me. I really don't need any more drama in my life where Darcy is concerned. I'd much rather put my energy into Naomi and when I can get her alone again.

That sounds so sleazy, but I don't mean it like that. Well, if I'm being honest I am looking forward to snogging her again. Mostly though I really want to continue on this path of getting to know her. The more time I spend with Naomi, the more time I want to spend with her.

Funny that.

"Fuck, fine, whatever," Katie huffs. I'm almost certain she isn't going to leave well enough alone, but I have to hope that she will not cause any kind of scene if she ever meets Darcy. It could potentially lead to World War III. "You're so gay sometimes."

"That's what it says in my pants," I quip back.

"You should see your face when you say Naomi's name," Katie says, ignoring my witty remark. "It lights up like a fucking Christmas tree."

"No, it doesn't!" I protest. "You're making that up."

"She's not, actually," Effy states and I can almost see a hint of a smile on her face. "It's actually quite adorable, Emily."

"Fuck off, both of you," I pout indignantly. I never would have agreed to let them stay in my room if I would have known that I'd get picked on so unfairly.

Katie starts laughing while Effy does actually break out into a full on grin. The two of them are such wankers!

"Aw, don't be such a spoil sport, Ems, you can't help that you're completely smitten by this girl." Katie replies so triumphantly that I nearly want to smack her. "Like Effy said, it really is rather cute."

I'm not going to sit by and be teased by the likes of them. "You reckon it will be so cute when you have nowhere to stay tonight?" Maybe that will teach them not to have such fun at my expense.

"Like you have the balls to do that," Katie replies. It's unfortunate she was able to see through my empty threat so easily. She turns to Effy and I swear the smile on her face went from wicked to downright evil. "Speaking of Naomi, did I ever tell you about the time I found Emily's box of fannies?"

"Katie!" I scream as my face turns what I assume has to be a really deep shade of red.

My sister of course pays no attention to me whatsoever. "I should have figured her to be a muff muncher then, but I thought she was just curious."

I can't fathom why Katie's sharing this story with Effy, but I have to put a stop to it. "Katie!"

"Under the magazines was Emily's diary," Katie is clearly enjoying herself, "she would spend pages and pages talking about this girl also named Naomi that showed up at our birthday party one year. She was so emo about the whole…"

I don't let Katie finish that sentence and I don't really take the time to ponder how I'm going to tell my sister that Naomi is the same person from years ago. I'm too busy chasing her around my hotel suite so I can shut her up. Effy is clearly amused by the whole exchange and so is my sister.

I can tell Katie's not even remotely scared by my threats of bodily hard. I can tell that because she can't stop laughing.

Bitch.

* * *

><p>I'm waiting in the lobby of the hotel with Katie and Effy. We're killing time until Naomi, Tony and Darcy arrive. Cook who is always up for a good time is going to meet us at the club later. Even though I know he's going to act wildly inappropriate, I'm happy that he will be joining us. I can always count on Cook and having another friendly face around can't be a bad thing.<p>

There's a lot of things I should be worried about right now. My list in no particular order: how I look, how tonight is going to go, if Katie is going to embarrass me in front of Naomi, did my warning that she better not have any effect on my sister whatsoever, is Katie going to be nice to Naomi, how many times is Cook going to hit on her before he gives up, why did I agree to allow Tony to come along which in turn lead to Darcy being a part of our evening, will Katie cause a scene with Darcy, do I really care if she does, what did Naomi want to tell me earlier, how do I look.

Oh, I think I might have mentioned that already.

Even with my gigantic list of things that can cause me anxiety, really the only thing on my mind is Naomi and my strong desire to be around her, to touch her and obviously to kiss her.

Katie starts making snide remarks about the people passing by and I do my best to ignore her. I can only focus on one thing at a time and I'd much more inclined to have my thoughts be about Naomi than what tacky outfit some old bit is wearing.

I start fidgeting with my bracelet, the one I always wear for luck, when I catch my first sight of familiar blonde hair. Much to my utter dismay, it's Darcy I spot, not exactly a happy day for me. She seems to be in an ok mood and her trademark sour and judgemental expression is nowhere to be found. I admit it does make a bit sick when I see that she's holding onto Tony's arm. He has such bad taste in women.

My breath catches in my throat as my eyes move from Tony and Darcy to Naomi. She's a couple of steps behind the nauseating couple and she doesn't know that I've spotted her yet. I can't believe how beautiful she looks. I can't believe I've kissed those soft lips of hers. I can't believe how much my body is buzzing right now and she's not remotely close to me. Most of all, I can't believe how fast my heart is beating and it only goes faster when her beautiful blue eyes find mine.

The blood is rushing through my body so quickly that I can't hear anything else around me. I'm pretty sure I'm not blinking and if someone were to ask me my name right now, I can't be certain I'd give them the right answer.

"Fucking hell," I mumble to myself as I continue to openly appreciate how amazing Naomi looks. And the best part is she seems just as fixated on me as I am on her.

It would be terrible if all of this was one sided.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty that whatever I'm feeling, Naomi is there with me. And even though that does frighten me somewhat, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Introductions are made and words are exchanged between everyone but I'm barely paying attention to any of that. The only thing I'm paying attention to is Naomi and how much I really want to kiss her right now.

I keep control of my feelings though because I can only imagine how nuclear Darcy would react if I were to do that. We head out of the hotel to start our night out and even though there's a lot for me to be anxious about, I'm strangely calm.

"Where's our ride?" Katie asks when we've stepped outside.

I reluctantly turn my attention away from Naomi and I can't help but feel a little smug. I may have called in a few favours to try and impress a certain someone. I point to the right and away from the line of taxis. "There it is."

Everyone's eyes follow my finger and it's Katie that reacts first. "Oi! A fucking limo! I do like to travel in style!"

I shrug my shoulders like it's no big deal and I hope that I'm not being too obvious. Although Naomi doesn't strike me as someone who cares a lot about material things, that doesn't mean I can't try and show off just a little.

Plus, I might also want to show Darcy that she's going to have work extra hard and prove herself before she can ever hope to be as successful as me. That's not being cocky, that's just stating facts.

"Not too shabby," Naomi whispers in my ear, causing a shiver to run down spine. "I've never ridden in one of those."

"Glad I could be a part of your first time," I whisper back earning a laugh from Naomi.

All of us pile into the limo and then we're on our way to the hottest club in Vegas. There's general chit chat going on and I can see Katie giving Darcy the once over, but nothing out of the ordinary happens and that makes me even more relaxed about tonight.

A few minutes into our limo ride, Naomi's hand comes to rest on top of my hand and intentionally or not, she starts playing with my fingers. I swear it feels like my heart is about to burst out of my chest and when I finally work up the never to look up at Naomi, it nearly does. Her expression is so intense that it's almost too much for me.

Almost, but I don't look away.

When we arrive at the club we're immediately ushered into the VIP section, just like I arranged and I'm happy that everything seems to be going off as planned. Some woman comes over to take our order and she casually mentions to everyone that anything we want to order is on the house.

"I'll fucking drink to that!" Katie exclaims earning cheers from our little group.

I feel Naomi slip her hand into mine against and I don't think I will ever get used to the feeling that gives me. She tugs at my hand a couple of times and when she tilts her head to the side I finally realize what she wants.

I give Naomi a smile to let her know I understand her request. We slip away from everyone else but I do manage to catch a glimpse of Darcy watching us and I can only describe her expression as one of contempt.

I don't care though.

I don't care because I'm headed to the rooftop patio with Naomi away from Darcy's watchful and disapproving eye.

When we get to the top, I manage to find us a quiet corner so we can talk.

Or kiss if she so chooses.

I'd be ok with that option as well.

"Beautiful night," Naomi remarks when we're alone.

We're huddled so close together I'm sure that there's no doubt to anyone else around that we are not looking to be interrupted.

I can't stop myself from reaching for Naomi's hand. "Did you really want to come up here to discuss the weather?"

Naomi shakes her head. "Technically, you're the one who brought me up here." I roll my eyes and that earns me a smile from Naomi that makes me weak in the knees. "I wanted to finish our conversation from earlier."

"'K," I reply, my nerves returning.

Naomi appears to be uneasy as well and I'm not sure if that a good sign or not. She takes a deep breath before starting. "I haven't always had the best luck dating," I can honestly say I have no idea where she's going with this. "It's just…I tend to think the worst of people or situations…"

I think I understand what Naomi means. People can really tear your heart out and disappoint you if you let them. That's why it's easier sometimes not to put yourself in a situation to let anyone do that to you.

"These last few days have been like a dream in a lot of ways," Naomi continues, her voice quiet and just a little sad. "The best kind of dream," she clarifies making us both smile and even though the lighting here isn't the greatest, I think blush too. "And I've kind of been waiting for things to go bad."

"Why?" I ask, my confusion evident. I mean, I get what Naomi is saying but I don't think I've given her any indication that I have bad intentions when it comes to her.

And I absolutely don't.

"Because you're amazing," Naomi says bashfully. It's hard to imagine she's the same person who made that strap-on comment to Katie earlier. "And beautiful and you seem to fancy me for some reason."

The pitter patter of my heart must surely be something everyone in this bar can hear. Even above the roar of the music. "Naomi…"

She places a finger from the hand that isn't clutching mine over my lips. "Let me finish?"

I nod my head and I'm pretty sure I've stopped breathing.

"When you got that call last night and I heard you talking to some girl, I…" Naomi's voice trails off and a giant light bulb goes off above my head.

"Thought it was another girl I was seeing?" I finish, in spite of Naomi's request to let her speak. She nods her head and I can't help feeling a bit hurt. "You think I'd do that to you?"

I know she doesn't know me that well but it bugs me that I've given her that kind of impression of me.

"No, no, that's not it, Emily," Naomi says apologetically. "I didn't think you're that kind of person, I just thought that…" she's stumbling with her words and I can't help notice how cute she is when she's flustered. Even if I'm still smarting from what she thought of me. "I'm a fucking, twat, ok?" Naomi sighs adorably making it very hard for me to hold a grudge against her. "It's just been a really long time since I've liked anyone as much as I like you and I panicked. That's why I left so suddenly and that's why I was avoiding you today. I felt like an idiot."

I should probably be giving Naomi a really hard time about this but she just admitted that she likes me. Who could stay mad at anyone when they hear something as wonderful as that?

"People do tend to do stupid things when they're scared," I offer as a gesture of forgiveness. Why would I want to spend my time focusing on a bad call on Naomi's part when there's much better things that I could be focusing on?

"You're not mad?" Naomi asks disbelievingly.

"Well I'm not thrilled you think I'm a two-timing slag," I joke, keeping my tone light. "But I am willing to forgive you if you find a way to make it up to me."

Naomi laughs and I can tell that she's relieved. "I really am sorry, Emily, I didn't want to…"

I silence her by pressing my lips softly against hers. "No apology necessary." I then follow suit and press my body into Naomi not really caring that we're in a fairly open setting. "More kisses are necessary though."

It's impossible to miss the sparkle in Naomi's eyes as she nods her agreement to my brilliant idea.

"Ladies! There you are!"

Of course.

"I've been looking all over for you," Cook says as he steps in between Naomi and me, putting his arms around both our shoulders. "You're missing out on all the fun."

No, I'm pretty sure that's not the case at all.

I watch as Cook looks Naomi up and down like he does with any member of the opposite sex.

Unfortunately I don't get the chance to explain to Naomi who Cook is and how harmless he is.

In one movement she has Cook pinned up against a nearby wall with one of his arms twisted behind his back. "Listen you giant cock, we're not interested so why don't you go wank yourself somewhere private before I make it impossible for you to have kids one day."

My jaw is on the floor at what Naomi just did. Also, can I say that seeing her so worked up is pretty hot.

Cook isn't mad at being manhandled by Naomi and neither would I if I was in his shoes. He starts laughing and I should probably say something before matters get out of control.

"I think introductions are in order, Emilio," Cook suggests with his face smushed up against the wall.

The look of horror on Naomi's face when she realizes that I know Cook is absolutely priceless. She lets go of him immediately but that doesn't stop her from groaning in embarrassment.

"I've jumped to conclusions again, yeah?" Naomi asks rhetorically.

"Not to worry, Blondie," Cook says while cracking his neck. "Plenty of ladies love to have their hands all over me." I elbow Cook in the gut causing him to make an 'oof' sound I'm quite familiar with. "Hey! I'm the one who was attacked! Someone kiss it all better!"

"Pay no attention to him," I tell Naomi as I slide my fingers into her hand. "I appreciate you coming to my defense."

"Anytime," Naomi replies sweetly even though I can tell she's still mortified.

Cook continues to make crude comments but it's obvious he's not really upset. Much to my chagrin he starts chatting with Naomi and in no time they start cracking jokes like they're old mates.

In some ways I wish he'd leave, but on the other hand I'm really happy that the two of them are getting along. I told Cook a bit about Naomi when I invited him out with us. I know he's going to give me a hard time later about what happened, but for now he's being the good friend that he's always been to me.

Cook starts flirting with a cocktail waitress who comes by to take our order.

Naomi uses the distraction to turn her attention to me. "I don't think I told you this before, but you look unbelievably beautiful tonight."

Unfortunately Cook gets shot down pretty quickly and he starts in with Naomi again before I have a chance to respond to her.

The tingling sensation that she causes throughout my body is overwhelming. It's also something I find myself getting addicted to the more I get a taste of it.

And if I have my way, Naomi isn't a craving I plan on giving up any time soon.


	12. Slow Burn

**A/N Not much to say today except thanks as always for the feedback, and I hope to continue my semi-regular updating as best as I can. **

Tonight has been a blast.

The club is packed, the music is great and the company has been fantastic. Well, excluding a certain sister that I'm trying to ignore. I'm well aware that if things are going to develop with Naomi I'm going to have to find a way to tolerate Darcy, but I'm not sure how that's even possible. She comes across as such a raging bitch. Plus, she doesn't seem to treat Naomi in any kind of healthy matter and that doesn't still well with me.

Shit.

Where are these thoughts even coming from?

When did I suddenly see myself as the great defender of Naomi? Or for that matter when did thoughts of a possible future creep into my subconscious?

Do not say since I was twelve, because that is utterly ridiculous.

And I would never admit that to anyone regardless.

I don't understand why I'm having future thoughts about Naomi. That's not a reflection on the girl, it's more a reflection on me. Sure things have started off well with her, better than I could have hoped, but we're still very early on in the game. I'm trying to feel her out and I assume she's trying to feel me out as well.

Metaphorically of course.

However, if there was literal feeling of each other, I would not be opposed. There's still a lot of uncertainty to this whole situation and a ton of questions that would need to be discussed. Not the least of which is the whole "hey we've totally met before, do you remember me, because I remember you" issue. Outside of that though, we're practically strangers and while I absolutely want to get to know Naomi better, that will take time.

Which brings me back to my original point - where are thoughts of a future with Naomi coming from?

I've never been in a serious relationship before, never had my heart broken, never told anyone I was seeing that I loved them and so forth. I've never put myself out there like that, because nobody has been worth the effort or risk. There might also be the issue of my horrible mum that plays a factor in my dating style, but we'll leave that point for the time being.

With Naomi, though, my mind is constantly venturing into uncharted territory. I'm having all these thoughts about future scenarios or possible situations I've never really pictured before. My parents' marriage was the poster child for what not to do and that probably also has factored into my lack of any kind of long term relationship. It's not something I've ever really wanted or thought was missing in my life.

You can't really long for something you've never had before.

Instead of focusing on finding love, I put all in energy into my career. I think it's been a pretty good decision on my part and something I've been very successful at. Besides, this should be the point of my life where I'm going after new experiences, meeting new people and not worrying about the future. You're only young once and I've managed to enjoy myself quite nicely.

I was living a content life before Naomi strolled into it - again.

She's threatening to change all my long-held beliefs as well as my philosophy of not putting myself out there to the point of getting hurt. It's just easier that way. When I've seen some of my friends go through heartbreak I've never had to worry about that happening to me. It's quite a nice set up, but it's a set up that might come undone by a certain blonde who hasn't really left my side all evening.

Granted, this place is not ideal in terms of having deep and meaningful conversations, but that doesn't mean I'm not having the greatest time with her.

There's been quite a bit of dancing and a copious amount of eye sex between us. I don't think that's gone unnoticed by most of our little group. I certainly don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, but the scowls I've received from Darcy have been annoying and predictable. I'm not sure what's worse: getting dirty looks from her or watching her and Tony go at it the more the more drugs and/or alcohol they've consumed.

Gross.

I guess I should be thankful in a way because the more Darcy has Tony to distract her, the less time she has to become a pain in my ass. I really need to learn to live with Darcy's dislike of me and obsess about it less, but I can't seem to let it go. It's not that I need everyone to like me; I actually don't care if she does. But I am good at figuring people out and Darcy and her weird behaviour is a complete mystery to me.

I think it's time for me to stop thinking about Naomi's sister and instead turn my attention the girl herself.

We're taking a break on one of the very comfortable sofas in the VIP section. Unfortunately, I don't have Naomi's attention, but I can't be too upset, not when I see how well her and Cook are getting along. He leans over to say something to her that is undoubtedly rude and then they start laughing. I'm not concerned about the two of them clicking so well together. I'm actually in favour of it. Cook is many things, not all them nice, but he's very loyal to me. I would stake my life on that fact. I also have it on very good authority that Naomi is interested in only one person here.

Luckily, that person happens to be me.

I watch as Cook gets up, probably to find someone to hit on that would be interested in him and that means Naomi's attention turns back to where I want it. She moves so that we're sitting very close together, probably closer than she needs to be, but look at me not complaining. She flashes me that smile of hers that I can't get enough of. Add to that the occasional biting of her lip and I'm lost in all things her.

"You ready to head back to the dance floor?" I ask for purely unselfish reasons. I want to make sure she's having as good a time as I am and not because I want to be up against her body as dancing tends to lead to.

"Actually, I'm getting kind of tired," Naomi admits with some more lip biting that is the causing me to get seriously distracted. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," I assure her sincerely. Her answer was not ideal but I'm not going to get upset over it. "It's not your fault you have the stamina of an old lady."

I said I wasn't going to get upset, I didn't say I wasn't going to bug her about it.

"Shut it, you!" Naomi replies with a roll of her eyes. I can tell she's not really mad at my teasing and that's good because I really enjoy teasing her. And you can take that any way you want. "You're not supposed to give me a hard time. I'm a guest of yours tonight."

I let out a small laugh at how indignant she's acting and how adorable she looks at this second. "A guest are you?" I lean over so my mouth is right by her ear. My move causes her to shudder slightly. "You're a guest that is trying to bail early."

"I'm really not!" Naomi says when I'm back to making eye contact with her. "That's not it at all...I just..."

Suddenly she looks more flustered than I meant her to get. "Relax, I was just joking around," I explain before reaching for her hand. "Why don't I take you back to your room and we can let the others stay here for however long they want." Obviously my first preference is not to leave, but on the bright side if I can get time with Naomi away from everyone else I will gladly take it.

"You're really not mad?" she asks with a lot of uncertainty in her voice. "I don't want to ruin..."

"You are absolutely not ruining anything," I tell her before she can finish her sentence. The idea of Naomi ruining anything is not a possibility. "I'll go find my sister, Effy and Cook to let them know what's going on and go tell Darcy that we're leaving"—we wouldn't want her to freak the fuck out like last time, god forbid—"and then we'll head out."

I'm surprised at Naomi's next move in the best of ways. She kisses me for not that long or that hard, but it's enough of a kiss to send me into a Naomi induced stupor. "Thanks," she whispers in my ear before going to locate her horror of a sister.

I watch her walk away in a daze that only she seems capable of causing. My body tingles around her even when we're not touching. And yet I find myself wanting to touch her all the time.

Not even in a naughty way. Yes, I'm fully in favour of naughty touching, but that's not what I'm talking about now. When I'm around her my heart feels like it's always racing, my throat often goes dry and I have this physical need to be as close to her as possible.

I'm not quite sure who this Emily is.

And I'm also not quite sure where she's going to lead me. I do know that whatever is happening, whatever will happen, I'm no longer in control of stopping this thing between Naomi and me.

It's either going to stop because of her or because of circumstances out of our control.

That's so bloody scary.

But I've never really been one to back away from fear. Instead, I'm going to go along for the ride and hope wherever I end up it's a place where Naomi is as well.

The funny thing is if anyone had told me a week ago I'd be having these kinds of thoughts I would have laughed in their face. I would have told them that I'm not the type of person to be so reckless in matters of the heart, or so clichéd, but here I am.

I appear to be one giant cliché and I don't care.

I don't fucking care one bit.

Katie would never let me live this down if she could get inside my head. Thankfully she can't read my mind or I'd be in big trouble. Surprisingly Katie's been very easy on me this evening. No funny jokes or trying to embarrass me like she did when she first met Naomi.

I am unsure if that's a good thing or something I need to be worried about.

My lovesick mind gets a break when I see Cook, Katie and Effy headed my way. Perfect, I can tell them all at the same time that I'm leaving with Naomi and then the two of us can get out of here.

"Where's your date, Emilio?" Cook asks with a shit eating grin. He must be loving this and loving that I don't have a smart ass reply to give him. "She ditch you already?"

I stand up so I can properly tell him off without the noise of the music getting in the way. "Actually, we're getting ready to leave." I smirk at him because even though my intentions with Naomi are pure, for now anyway, I'm still me and this is just how we operate.

Cook laughs and then he puts his arms around Katie and Effy. His eyebrows start wiggling and I can only imagine what's going to come out his mouth now. "Oh, is Blondie about to get Fitched?" I roll my eyes and Katie elbows him in the side. "Oi! What the fuck was that for?"

"That's my fucking sister you're talking about!" Katie exclaims, her disgust evident to everyone. "I don't want know about her sex life!"

"Besides that's not going to happen," I say even though I don't have to. I suppose the honourable thing to do however is protect Naomi's reputation. "She's tired so I'm taking her back to her room."

"I bet you are!" Cook replies, his grin even bigger than it was before. "Not that I blame you. If Naomi wasn't so into you I'd have made a move myself."

I guess it's somewhat sweet that he thinks Naomi is into me, but that doesn't save Cook from getting a punch in the stomach on my behalf. I'd say poor him but he's brought this on himself.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Naomi talking to her sister, with Tony nearby. Their discussion doesn't seem to be going all that well but I'm in the middle of something here so I can't go see why.

"Will everyone stop hitting me!" Cook pleads, doubled over in pain. "Both of you are so fucking strong."

"It's your fault," Effy tells him. "You're the one being a perverted wanker."

"Yeah, but that's who I am," Cook states. "And that's why you all love me. Am I right ladies?"

I ignore Cook so I can hand some money to Katie. "Use this to get back to the hotel when you're done. I'm giving you my extra key card. Don't lose it and try not to wake me up when come in."

"Anything else, mum? Do I have a curfew?" Katie asks sarcastically.

"Your gratitude is overwhelming," I deadpan. "You're welcome."

"Where is Naomi from?" Effy inquires catching me by surprise.

She didn't seem to pay any attention to Naomi at all when she first met her and I don't think the two of them have spoken once tonight.

"I have no idea," I admit sheepishly. I should probably know more about the girl I'm spending a lot of my time thinking about. "Why?"

Effy shrugs and it's hard to tell if she even really cares about her own question. "She just looks familiar, that's all."

Before I have time to analyze any possible connection between Effy and Naomi, the girl herself is back from her conversation with Darcy. She's all smiles, showing no trace of having a row with her sister. Perhaps I was imagining that.

"I'm ready to go," Naomi tells me and my body reacts by buzzing all over.

Feeling this way can't be normal.

"Good, so am I," I reach for Naomi's hand and happily she gives it to me without hesitation. I've never been the hand holding type before. Yet another thing that Naomi is changing about me. "Have fun you guys and try not to get arrested, yeah?"

Trust me, that's a warning I need to give.

"You have fun too!" Cook says with a very dirty smile. The boy can't help himself.

I ignore his comment because I know Katie will take care of him. Naomi waves goodbye to the three of them and then we're off.

It takes a while for us to navigate through the crowd. Good thing I don't let go of Naomi's hand as I lead us through the club. For practical purposes, of course. When we get outside the heat is stifling and it's probably the only thing about Vegas that I would change if I could. I had messaged the limo driver to let him know we were getting ready to leave so he's waiting for us just like he's supposed to be.

I am not ashamed to admit that I do have a fleeting thought about some fun Naomi could have in the back of this limo. I am only human after all. But I am trying to behave and when she yawns and rests her head on my shoulder those thoughts go away. They're replaced by sweetness and stomach butterflies.

Naomi closes her eyes and positions her body so she's curled right into me. Fuck. This feels so good. Thankfully she's resting on my right side so she won't realize how much she's making my heart race.

It's not that long a ride back to the hotel and yet I find myself disappointed when the limo stops. I've rather enjoyed cuddling with Naomi. Another first for me. I'm not at all the cuddling type.

On the walk through the lobby and the ride up the elevator there's a subtle shift in the dynamic between us. We don't say anything but we can't keep our eyes off each other. I think the realization that I'm taking Naomi back to her hotel room, where she's likely to be alone for the next few hours, has hit us at the same time. In spite of my noble intentions there's a side of me that wants to forget going slow. I don't know if that's a defense mechanism on my part or it's because Naomi is gorgeous.

I suspect it's a little bit of both.

Each step we take towards Naomi's hotel room seems to hold more weight than the one before. Our hands remained entwined tightly together and our eyes locked in a conversation that needs no words. We're both thinking the same thing and we're both having the same dilemma.

To nail the girl, or not to nail the girl, that is the proverbial question.

It would appear that Naomi has gotten her second wind because at this moment she looks anything but tired. My heart is thumping so wildly that it's distracting. There are so many conflicting thoughts racing through my head that it makes me almost dizzy. Although, I could also be feeling that way because even though this is Naomi's room, I suddenly find myself pressed up against the door.

Our faces are mere centimeters apart and any hope I have of stopping this before I can't is quickly slipping away.

Jesus, how did things get charged so quickly?

"Emily," Naomi whispers even though there's no around. Her arms are above my head and, fuck, it's sexy.

"Yeah," I whisper back.

"I really want to kiss you," she says in what is quickly being our thing I suppose. I wonder if she is going to announce everything she wants to do me?

We're both bordering on breathless and I can't seem to keep my eyes off her chest as it rises and falls at an increasingly rapid rate.

"But," I offer because I can sense that she wasn't done talking.

I'm too responsible.

I'm supposed to be throwing caution to the wind not analyzing every detail like I usually do.

"But believe it or not I really am knackered." The look in her eyes is yearning mixed with caution. I get that completely. "And I don't want us to do something that..."

"We'll regret tomorrow," I finish for her. I know on the surface it would appear that neither one of us should be holding back. We don't have to answer to anyone, we're both adults and we're clearly attracted to each other.

But like everything else where Naomi is concerned, I want what happens with us to mean something.

I want it to be more than just giving in to our desires.

Besides I'm not the only one with in this frame of mind so at least there's that. I'm not saying that I want to wait months to be with Naomi. First of all, I don't think I could even hold off that long. And secondly, we're just at the beginning, so if going slow makes the next part that much better, I can wait.

I guess what I'm really getting at is that I want to court Naomi.

And perhaps have her court me too.

Jesus.

I sound like I'm from the 50's and corny as fuck.

"Yeah," Naomi says looking uncertain. "That ok?"

I pull at the side of Naomi's shirt so we're fully pressed together. "Stop asking if that's ok," I order, trying to sound serious. The fact that my mouth is fighting to smile probably hurts my believability. "Ok?"

"Ok," Naomi answers and she appears relieved.

"Ok," I repeat earning a laugh from her. I stand up on my tippy toes so I can press a kiss against Naomi's cheek. I linger there for more than necessary just soaking in the reaction I get from touching her. "Sweet dreams." I move back to my original position in time to see that Naomi had shut her eyes when I kissed her.

"You too," she replies before letting out a content sigh. "I'll ring you tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that," I tell her and then I reluctantly step to the side so we're not longer in such an intimate position.

I watch as Naomi enters her room and I'm rewarded when she blows me a kiss on the way inside.

Fuck.

I've gotten drunk on more occasions than I can ever count. I've dabbled in recreational drug use more frequently than most people. I've experienced the rush that comes with winning a poker hand or tournament. None of those things comes even remotely close to how Naomi seems capable of making me feel.

She's the cause of the most amazing high I never knew was possible - natural or chemically manufactured.

As I've said before, she's utterly addicting.

* * *

><p>When I wake up the next morning, I'm greeted by the site of Katie and Effy standing over me. My sister's smiling at me like she knows something I don't and Effy is well, being Effy.<p>

"Sod off," I tell the both of them as I attempt to pull the covers over my head. I don't normally have issues in the morning, but I'm still experiencing my Naomi high from last night that I don't quite want to come down yet. "I'm going back to sleep."

"It's two in the afternoon you slacker," Katie says before trying to pull the covers off me. "Get your lazy ass up."

Two in the afternoon!

I must have been up much later than I thought day dreaming about Naomi.

"No! Leave me alone!" I shout back. "I'm tired!"

Actually, I just want to check my phone to see if Naomi called me in peace. I don't want their prying eyes, or more specifically, Katie's prying eyes, around.

"Naomi dropped a note off for you this morning," Katie announces unexpectedly.

I sit straight up and the covers come flying right off. "Why are you just waking me up now?" I ask loudly.

"I was going to wake you up, bitch, but Naomi said it wasn't necessary," Katie explains and her smile is still as wide as ever. "How cute are you two exchanging love notes!"

I can't believe how annoying she is.

"You better not have read that note!" I warn her even though I don't know what's in it. "I'm serious!"

Katie just laughs at me and my over the top behaviour. "Please like I have nothing better to do than read lesbian love notes."

I grit my teeth in frustration, "Give it to me, now!"

"Whatever," Katie scoffs before dropping an envelope in my lap. "Effy and I are leaving soon to go shopping. We'll leave you to swoon over Naomi by yourself."

Exactly what I was thinking.

Once I'm alone again I wait about two seconds before I tear the envelope open. While I normally have a lot of patience, now is not one of those times.

As I pull a piece of paper from inside the envelope out, I can feel myself getting carried away with all the possibilities of what I'm about to read.

When I do start reading it doesn't take me very long to finish what is written and the words on this page are not at all what I was expecting.

In a very unfortunate way.

_Emily,_

_I'm really sorry but I need to leave town for a few days with Darcy. _

_I'll let you know when I'm back._

_Naomi_

What?

And also, that's it?

No explanation.

Nothing.

I don't know how to react to this unwelcome and surprising news.

I guess what goes up has to come down.

Because as high as Naomi made me last night, today she's sent me crashing right back down to earth.

Hard.


	13. Luck Be a Lady

**A/N I'm not updating as frequently as I'd like, but I am trying to improve on that. As a side note that will probably interest no one besides me, the World Series of Poker is actually taking place in Vegas right now. Last year the winner of the main event won over $8,700,000. Not too shabby for a couple of weeks of work. Thanks as always for reading/review - it is as always appreciated. **

I'm an idiot.

A bloody idiot who is in completely unfamiliar territory.

When I first read Naomi's note, I was crushed. Everything between us had been going so well and then out of nowhere she's leaving town with Darcy. Perhaps she didn't owe me any explanation, but her actions felt like a giant bucket of ice had been tossed on my head. Perhaps that wasn't the logical way to react, but I can't help how I feel.

It seemed like strange behaviour for her, although in retrospect I guess Naomi suddenly disappearing is something I experienced the very first time we met. I should have seen it coming.

I moped around the suite for a few hours before Katie started bitching at me that I was acting like a lovesick fool. Apparently, there could be any number of logical reasons why Naomi had to leave and I was refusing to see what they could be. Besides, I should take it as a good sign that she came by to tell me she wasn't going to be around for a few days. That made sense to me at the time, but on the other hand, I refused to accept that I was overreacting.

I think what got me most of all was how much I missed Naomi, but I kept that to myself during Katie's rant. I couldn't handle how my sister would make fun of me for that.

For all my bravado about how in control of my emotions I am, the first hint at something awry between Naomi and me and I'm acting like a hormonal teenager. It's kind of sad actually.

These swings of emotions are so new to me that I don't know how to react to them. I'm so used to things being calm and steady that the sudden roller coaster ride I find myself on is causing me a lot of uncertainty.

Which brings me back to my original point.

I'm an idiot.

A Naomi-obsessed idiot who is so preoccupied about why she disappeared that I don't know what to do with myself. I talked so much about how I'm in this for the long haul and had all these grand ideas of where we were headed. Then, at the first sign of things not going the way I want them to, I write everything off completely and start to sulk.

Pretty mature of me.

If only she'd send me a message besides that note, it might help. I've thought of texting Naomi, but I don't know what I would say and I don't want to come across as needy.

We're not anything formal to each other, but my feelings for her run a lot deeper than I care to anyone, least of all myself.

Because I have no clue when she's coming back, I've had nothing but time to kill and thoughts to go over to fill up time. It's enough to drive me crazy.

Fuck it.

I'm so sick of everything in my head being stuck on a continuous loop that I'm just not going to do it anymore.

Instead, I'm going to turn to the one thing I know can give me my sanity back.

Poker.

My trusty old friend that hasn't let me down yet. Whenever I've needed just to lose myself in the game so I don't have to think about what's bothering me, she's been there. Not to mention I've got a pretty big tournament coming up that I need to prepare for.

I guess that's the other thing that baffles me about the timing of Naomi and Darcy going away. It's odd because I'm almost positive that Darcy wants to make a good impression at such an important event. Most pros don't take off right before the biggest tournament of the year. They're working on their game and preparing for the grind that comes with it.

Whatever.

I said I wasn't going to obsess anymore so I'm shutting off all Naomi-fueled thoughts for the time being. I realize that's not exactly realistic but I am going to try.

I spent yesterday being on the receiving end of a Katie lecture and while her points are valid to a degree, it didn't help me much. Thankfully, she and Effy have plans with Cook today and that leaves me to go play a warm up tournament without having to listen to her advice. I know Katie has my best interest at heart, but there are times that I wish she'd take things down a notch.

I decide to leave my phone in the suite so I'm not compulsively checking it every few minutes to see if Naomi has sent me a message. Not that I would do something that juvenile or anything.

It will be good for me to get back to poker and how comfortable I feel playing it. Spending time with Naomi has made me feel off kilter - not necessarily in a bad way mind you - and getting me back on even ground will be a welcomed relief. It's not that I'm unhappy that she walked back into my life, but I haven't really felt like myself for days. It will be nice for me things to return to normal.

Even if that normalcy is just an illusion and a temporary fix.

I check my appearance in the mirror before I go and once I'm satisfied that I'm at my best, I head out the door. I feel a sense of relief as I walk towards the lift. This is exactly what I need to get my head screwed back on straight.

So to speak.

* * *

><p>While I wait for the tournament to begin and seat assignments to be announced, it dawns on me that since Naomi and Darcy have gone away, Tony has pretty much disappeared as well. He's sent me a couple of messages, but usually when we're in town together, he's a very prominent figure in my day-to-day life. I guess I didn't notice his absence before because everything has been about Naomi and why she left.<p>

I can't explain it, but my gut is telling me that I should be concerned about this new development. Rationally that shouldn't be the case. Tony has been nothing but a great manager to me and there's no reason for me to think anything has changed.

I guess a part of me feels that if he fancies Darcy, there must be something wrong with his judgment. Suppose that makes me a bitch. Oh well. She's been nothing but horrible to me since that night we first met and clearly she doesn't think Naomi should be involved with me.

Wow, I've already broken my resolution to not focus on Naomi. It only took about three seconds for that to happen.

Luckily, before I have a chance to continue down a Naomi beaten path, I hear a voice behind me that is surprising yet, very welcoming. "Emily, hey."

I turn around to greet my friend. "Cassie!" I give her a hug that she returns. "What are you doing here?"

Cassie gives me an amused look. "Well, this is the place where a lot of people play poker. Yeah?"

"You git," I say as I swat her shoulder. "I thought you weren't arriving until later this week."

"I figured I had time to kill so why not come early," she explains while looking around. "Besides I thought it be fun for the two of us to hang out together."

I met Cassie a few years ago, right as I was starting out my poker career. I love watching people play against her, because much like me, they severely underestimate her ability to play at a high level. Cassie can come across as flakey and not really all there, but let me tell you that couldn't be a more inaccurate impression of her.

Yes, she's had her issues and there's still stuff that Cassie deals with, that can't be denied. But when the game starts, much like me, all the bullshit that she has in her life is simply forgotten. Although she doesn't get to play as much as she'd like, she is definitely someone to keep your eye on when she's at the table with you

You'd think there would be some kind of rivalry between us. We're both around the same age and because female poker players are still in the minority, we don't often get the attention that we'd like. In regards to our skills anyway. But the two of us hit it off immediately. There's no pretense where Cassie is concerned and that's a quality I really like about her.

There were lots of rumors about Cassie going around when I was becoming a more serious player. There were stories of her odd behaviour and the reasons behind that behaviour. Everyone seemed to be talking behind Cassie's back and getting a lot of pleasure in doing so. I think that's one of the reasons we connected pretty quickly. I paid no attention to the gossip that I heard and she really appreciated that.

It's not surprising that we found ourselves in bed together not long after we first became friends.

We were celebrating my first final table appearance and even though I didn't win the tournament, I finally felt like making such an unconventional career choice wasn't a giant mistake. We went to a club and partied until the wee hours of the morning. I consumed more drugs and alcohol than I normally would, but that's not the reason I chose to sleep with Cassie. We got along well, she was easy on the eyes and I knew that she'd never want or expect anything more from me than I was willing to give.

Being with Cassie was fun and easy and nothing has changed in the years since we first got together. We've drifted in and out of each other's lives without any drama of any kind.

Just the way I like it.

It might seem strange that neither one of us has ever felt the need to for more out of our relationship. But until very recently I never thought I'd be the kind of person that wanted something beyond casual sex. At least for now. As for Cassie, well, I don't think she could ever trust anyone enough to let them in all the way with her. As much as we're close in our friendship, there's still a part of her that she keeps locked away tightly. Our arrangement has worked out pretty well for both of us.

So far.

Naomi may have disappeared to parts unknown, but that doesn't change how strongly I feel about her. And as much as I enjoy messing around with Cassie, that can't happen now. It doesn't matter that there are all these unanswered questions surrounding what's happening with Naomi and me. Even if the worst happened and I never heard from her again, I wouldn't feel right about being with Cassie right now.

I've never really had to say no to Cassie before so I'm not quite sure how to handle things. "Cass, about hanging out…"

"So, Emily has met someone, has she?" Cassie asks rhetorically before I can get out what I was trying to say. She doesn't seem upset but her tone does suggest that she's somewhat surprised about this new development.

"Is it that obvious?" I inquire. Yet again someone has seen through me where Naomi is concerned.

"You should see how your face changes when you started thinking about her." Cassie tells me proving once again that her incredible ability to read a person doesn't only apply to the poker table. "I'm surprised I didn't notice it before."

"Before? You've only been speaking with me a few minutes," I laugh nervously because it's kind of scary how much Naomi is invading my thoughts even when I'm trying to think of anything else but her. "You're just giving me a hard time."

Cassie smiles at me, "Apparently I won't be giving you a hard time at all."

This time my laugh is genuine. "Sorry about that, I know how disappointed you must be."

"She must be pretty special," Cassie remarks wistfully.

"She is," I agree quickly even though I'm still unsure of where things with us are going.

"You should see how you look right now," she teases and I'm so glad that she seems to be genuinely happy for me. Well, as happy as Cassie can ever truly be. "You're in big trouble."

She has no idea how accurate her statement is.

I spend the next few minutes giving Cassie a brief rundown on the events surround a certain blonde and how she's affected me. I tell her the whole truth, including my very brief meeting with Naomi years ago.

"Be careful, Emily," Cassie warns me cryptically. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

I don't have a chance to question Cassie on why she thinks I'm going to get hurt. She's been given her table assignment and the tournament is set to begin shortly. The incredible feeling that I get from being around Naomi or daydreaming about her is slowly being replaced by warning bells and caution signs.

All I can think as I make my way over to my table is how I don't like this change.

I don't like it one bit.

* * *

><p>Once I get settle into my seat, I take a moment to assess the people at my table. I don't think I've played against any of them before which can be both an advantage and disadvantage. There is one empty seat but there's a chance that it doesn't belong to anyone.<p>

I can already feel myself getting into game mode, which is a good thing. That means I can shut the world out and just enjoy myself.

It's about that time that the chair across from is no longer vacant. I make eye contact with the man sitting down and the look of utter contempt he's shooting at me is confusing. It takes me a few minutes to place his face and when I realize who he his, I inwardly groan.

"Enjoying my money, bitch?" He sneers at me much to the surprise of everyone at the table, with the exception of me.

I'm convinced the bigger a man's ego, the smaller the size of just about everything about him.

"You have no idea," I reply back with a startling amount of satisfaction. I would normally let a remark like that go, but I don't really feel like doing that now.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll try and go easy on you today," he replies. This guy has no reason to be so sure of himself considering the last time we played together I took most of the money he was playing with. "Wouldn't want to make you cry."

I should really ignore him because that would make him even more pissed at me. "Eat, shit."

The asshole starts laughing, "Please like I'm going to listen to you." This guy must be drunk or high to be trash talking me. Or he's just really, really stupid. "Everyone knows that the only place a woman belongs is in the kitchen or on her knees."

He might not be so offensive if there was another woman at the table with us, but that's not the case so I'm going to have to fire back. "Tell me, is the size of your cock in direct correlation to the size of your teeny tiny brain?"

Although my reply earns a few laughs, the guy doesn't seem at all phased by my response. "Wouldn't you like to know, sweetie." He is so off putting that even if I was straight, I would never find him attractive. "On our next break, you want to give me a try?"

The cards are starting to be dealt, but I don't give a fuck. "Not if you were the last man alive."

I should be thinking of my strategy and the table image I want to project, but this tournament is the furthest thing from my mind. I'm so angry and all I want to do is shut my opponent's idiotic mouth up.

"That's right, you're a dyke," he responds earning him a warning from the tournament director. He pretends to apologize but we both know he's full of shit. "I guess you've never had the pleasure of being with a real man," he continues once the director is out of earshot. "Maybe what you need is a good fucking and then you'll realize what you've been missing all this time."

I am seething, but don't give him the satisfaction of saying anything back. I need to figure out I can humiliate the sexist jerk that just winked at me.

What an asshole.

* * *

><p>I'm out.<p>

I can't believe it.

I'm out of the tournament and I was pretty much the first person eliminated. And guess who had the pleasure of getting me out? I've never really come close to punching anyone I've played against, but today I was seconds away from doing just that.

He deserved it too.

His verbal attacks against me were pretty much non-stop but he kept his comments clean so there really wasn't much I could do about it. It's not like I've heard worse, but for some reason I couldn't shake how he was hounding me. Every pot I went in, he was there too. Every time I tried to make a move, he would make a move back.

I usually have the patience to deal with being targeted, but I snapped. I fucked up and as much as I'd like to blame his actions for me being out of the tournament, I only have myself to blame.

Or more accurately, my emotions.

The rumblings of there being something wrong with my game have already started. Two early exits are cause for people to start talking. Nobody knows that I blew the first one on purpose. This is definitely not the kind of attention I need going into a tournament I want to win so badly.

What I did today was so stupid and reckless. I knew I was going to lose but I wanted to beat that guy so badly and wipe the smug expression of his face.

Whatever is wrong with me I need to fix it immediately.

Unfortunately I don't think it's as simple as that.

* * *

><p>It's amazing what night out can do for a person's mood. Cassie didn't fair much better than me, but unlike me, she didn't seem too fussed by her loss. The two of us met up with Katie, Effy and Cook and all of us got wrecked.<p>

It felt so good to let go and just leave the angst of the last two days behind me. I didn't care about anything as I let the music and the MDMA take me far, far away from my troubles. It was wonderful.

Nothing happened between Cassie and me, but that doesn't mean she went back to her suite alone. I did and even though I still haven't heard from Naomi I'm starting to feel ok with just letting the chips fall as they may. I can't control how I feel about her or what's going to happen, for the most part, so fucking up my professional life isn't a smart strategy.

I'm waiting for Katie and Effy to get ready so the three of us can go shopping together. Not really my ideal way to spend the day but I do miss hanging out with them and I have nothing else planned. I've left the two of them up in my room while I wait for them in the hotel lobby. They're taking forever and it's easier for my sanity to leave them be.

I'm so busy people watching that I don't notice at first that Naomi and Darcy are walking towards me. Nor does it register right away that Tony is behind them. I don't think any of them realize I'm here, but my eyes haven't left Naomi's since the second my mind caught up to what I was seeing.

My stomach drops, then lurches and then I get a serious case of butterflies. There's so many things I want to say, so many questions I want to ask her, but most of all, I really just want to kiss her like I've been thinking about since she left.

Christ, she's stunning.

I stand up to get Naomi's attention and when she makes eye contact with me, she stops.

And so do her two companions.

Her eyes look so cold and distant, I've never seen them look like that before. There are no smiles from her and I don't think I'm about to have a joyous reunion with her. Call it a hunch. I glance ever so quickly at Tony and Darcy and the two of them look just as enthusiastic to see me as Naomi does.

Any kind of greeting I might have had has died on my lips.

"Come on," Darcy says as she tugs on Naomi's arm.

Because Naomi doesn't seem capable or willing to tell her sister off, she goes leaves without so much as one word to me.

I don't think gutted is a strong enough word to describe how I'm feeling now, but it's pretty damn close.

Hours later I'm still in my hotel suite trying to figure out what kind of game Naomi is playing. I mean that has to be the reason behind her hot and cold attitude. Because nothing else I've come up with makes any kind sense.

I faked a headache with my sister and Effy so they left without me. I'm not sure either one of them believed me, but they did leave me alone.

I can't remember ever feeling this shitty about anything. Well, aside from my mother completely rejecting me as a person. I don't quite think I'm over that yet.

I've had this lump in my throat since Naomi bolted from the hotel lobby and I can't seem to get rid of it.

I continue wallowing in my misery because that seems the appropriate course of action to take. I don't really feel like talking to anyone so when my phone rings I come very close to ignoring it.

But then I see who's calling.

It's Naomi.

Shit.

I know I shouldn't answer her call. What could she say to me right now anyway? Despite what my brain is telling me, it's my heart that wins out in the end.

"Yeah?" I breathe into the phone as I try not to wildly speculate on why she's ringing me.

She doesn't respond right away, but before I hang up to save myself from getting even more hurt, she speaks. "Take me somewhere."

There are so many ways I should respond to that. A lot of those ways that involve yelling, telling Naomi that she has no right to be asking me this, or general anger at the way she's messing with my head.

But I want to stop feeling so shitty and maybe get some kind of explanation from her. If I'm being really honest though, I'm weak enough to give in if it means things can go back to how well they were going before she left. It's like I'm under some kind of spell that prevents me from acting with thought and reason. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere," she replies immediately.

Whatever is the right or wrong thing to do right now doesn't matter.

I need to see Naomi again and if that makes me sad or pathetic so be it.

"Meet me in the lobby in half an hour." I tell her.

She disconnects our call without saying anything else and that leaves me with thirty minutes to figure out where I'm going to take her.


End file.
